Asia

To
Shri Anand Sharma,
Hon’ble Minister of Commerce and Industry
Room No. 45, Udyog Bhavan
Rafi Marg
New Delhi – 110 001
Tel: 2306 1492 / 1008
Fax: +91-11-23062947

Hon’ble Minister,

We, the undersigned public interest organizations and individuals from different fields, note with great concern meetings and "interactions" being organised annually with Indian judges and policy makers on intellectual property as part of so-called summits on intellectual property (IP Summits).

These IP summits in major cities of India are organised annually by the India Project of the George Washington University of the United States, and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) with funding from multinational pharmaceutical companies, industry associations and corporate law firms. Even though George Washington University claims to organise and co-sponsor with the Confederation of Indian Industry, industry sponsorship is prominently displayed at the IP summit (See annexure 1).

Third World Relief Fund, a Belgian development NGO, and intal, a solidarity movement with people's movements in the Philippines and other countries, condemns the brazen arrest of 43 doctors and health workers in the Philippines. We consider it an attack on the Council for Health and Development (CHD), our long-time partner organization in the Philippines, and on the right to health of the Philippine people.

Peoples’ Health Movement Sri Lanka (PHMSL) was launched in the year 2001. The focal point is Sarvodaya Movement and the National Co-ordinator is Dr Vinya Ariyaratne, Executive Director of Sarvodaya.

Bayer sues Indian Government to retain monopoly rights / International coalition demands protection of generic pharmaceuticals

Health groups call on German drugmaker Bayer to cancel the suit against the Indian government and domestic drug company Cipla in order to protect affordable drug treatment. The organizations fear that the fate of generics in India may hinge on this case and that thousands of Indians will die without affordable pharmaceuticals.