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Agência Aids 23.07.07

IAS 2007: ATIVISTAS FAZEM MANIFESTAÇÃO PEDINDO A ABBOTT O FIM DO BLOQUEIO DO ANTI-RETROVIRAL ALUVIA NA TAILÂNDIA

23/7/2007 – 7h15

Representantes de várias organizações não governamentais pediram a Abbott que desista da decisão de não registrar e não comercializar o Aluvia, versão termoestável do Kaletra, na Tailândia. O protesto aconteceu no início do simpósio promovido pela Abbott no final da tarde desta segunda-feira, 23, realizado durante a IAS 2007. A manifestação foi decidida após reunião realizada pela manhã entre a empresa farmacêutica e os ativistas, onde a Abbott suspendeu o processo que movia contra a organização francesa “Act Up-Paris”, mas não voltou atrás no boicote a Tailândia. Para poderem se manifestar, os ativistas tiveram que negociar com os dirigentes da Sociedade Internacional de Aids, que têm regras bastante rígidas em relação a este tipo de atividade, e poderia até banir os envolvidos definitivamente de todos os eventos realizados pela instituição. Enquanto os manifestantes seguravam cartazes pedindo o fim do bloqueio, a ativista Kannikar Kijtiwatchakul, da Rede Tailandesa de Pessoas Vivendo com o HIV/Aids (TNP+) leu uma declaração falando da necessidade dos soropositivos do seu país de terem acesso ao medicamento.

No início deste ano, o governo tailandês emitiu a licença compulsória do Kaletra, produzido pelo laboratório norte-americano. A medida, considerada legal pelas regras da Organização Mundial do Comércio, teve o apoio dos governos da França e do Reino Unido, assim como do Parlamento Europeu. Mesmo assim, em março de 2007, a Abbott anunciou a sua decisão de retaliar a Tailândia ao retirar as solicitações de registro pendentes de medicamentos no país, incluindo o Aluvia, que não precisa ser mantido em ambiente refrigerado, facilitando a adesão dos pacientes tailandeses.

Desde então, a comunidade mundial de Aids vem pressionando o laboratório para que volte atrás em sua decisão que pode prejudicar milhares de portadores do HIV/Aids. Os ativistas de Aids e organizações médicas presentes a IAS 2007 apelam para os participantes do evento que demonstrem solidariedade à Tailândia aproveitando todas as oportunidades durante a conferência para desafiar publicamente a Abbott a revogar o bloqueio. Os ativistas elaboraram uma petição pedindo o fim do bloqueio que pode ser assinada no endereço eletrônico http://www.petitiononline.com/bcottabb/petition.html.

Etiquetas: Abbott, Thailand

New Drug Application for Investigational HIV Treatment TMC125 Submitted to U.S. Food and Drug Administration

YARDLEY, PA, 18^th July 2007 - Tibotec Pharmaceuticals Ltd. today announced the submission of a New Drug Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for TMC125 (etravirine), an investigational non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), being studied for use with other antiretroviral agents as a treatment for people infected with HIV-1.

The submission is based on the 24-week efficacy and safety results of two Phase III randomized, placebo-controlled studies, known as DUET-1 and DUET-2, which studied the use of TMC125 in combination with other antiretroviral agents in adult treatment-experienced HIV-1 patients with documented resistance to NNRTIs and protease inhibitors. Data from these studies were published in the July 7, 2007 issue of The Lancet and will be shown at a late-breaker presentation at the 2007 International AIDS Society (IAS) conference in Australia on July 25th.

TMC125 is the first NNRTI to show antiviral activity in patients with documented NNRTI resistance. Tibotec has received fast track designation for TMC125 from the FDA. Under fast track designation in the FDA Modernization Act of 1997, FDA may expedite the review of a drug if it is intended for the treatment of a serious or life-threatening condition, and demonstrates the potential to address an unmet medical need for such a condition.

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Etiquetas: ARVs, TMC125

Para subscrever a carta: petition.abbott@gmail.com

ABBOTT: STOP THE INTIMIDATION! WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED!

Global AIDS community expresses solidarity with Thailand and ACT UP-Paris; Abbott urged to immediately drop the charges against the AIDS organization

On May 23rd Abbott Laboratories, manufacturers of the anti-retroviral drugs Norvir and Kaletra, became the first pharmaceutical company to intentionally attempt to cause the demise of an HIV/AIDS community group by filing a lawsuit in French criminal court against ACT UP-Paris. Abbott claims ACT UP-Paris’ April website “zap” shut down its server for a few hours prior to its annual shareholders meeting.

French law forbids the limiting of access to a website, unless a defendant has a “legitimate motive”. Holding Abbott accountable for unethical business conduct and highlighting Abbott’s denial of essential medicines can surely be interpreted as a legitimate and honorable motive.

A Paris judge has scheduled an Oct. 26 hearing in criminal court. If ACT UP Paris loses the criminal case, French law proscribes a maximum fine of €75,000, or $100,000 and/or the disbanding of the AIDS organization. Either option will result in the closure of ACT UP-Paris.

HIV patients, doctors and their organizations have scorned Abbott for many years as a result of excessive prices charged for its HIV drugs and for the 400% price increase of its monopoly boosting drug, Norvir, in the United States. The company is now divesting from HIV research and remains only interested in maximizing returns from its existing HIV products.

In recent months, the company has been embroiled in a standoff over access to its drug Kaletra in Thailand. ACT UP-Paris was among the many AIDS activist groups globally that joined an International Day of Action on April 26, 2007, to protest against the company’s withdrawal of applications for new life-saving drugs in Thailand.

Earlier this year, Thailand stated that it could not afford Abbott’s price for Kaletra. The Thai government announced that it planned to use compulsory license provisions, pursuant to international trade law, that allows countries to procure cheaper generic versions of a patented drug in health emergencies. By utilizing compulsory license provisions, the Thai government would save millions of dollars that could be used for life-saving medications for its citizens.

Abbott countered by announcing that it would not register any newly developed drugs in Thailand, depriving that country of the new form of Kaletra that, in contrast to the current form, does not require refrigeration, an obvious issue in tropical Thailand. Despite the fact that the compulsory licenses for Kaletra were legally issued by the Thai government in accordance with WTO TRIPS provisions, Abbott announced that it would refuse access of its new heat-stable version of Kaletra to the 220.000 HIV patients in Thailand.

The World Health Organization, doctors and community organizations globally have called upon Abbott to reexamine its position. The French and British governments publicly supported the Thai government’s right to issue the compulsory drug licenses. People living with HIV/AIDS in Thailand have pleaded with Abbott to reverse its decision and called upon the international community to show solidarity with their cause. ACT UP-Paris responded to their call with the alleged criminal “action”.

Phone and fax zaps or sit-ins, which have disrupted corporate communication for short periods of time, or blocked employee work access, are not new to AIDS activism. These tactics have been used by many other activists throughout the many years of the long epidemic to draw attention to government or corporate acts and omissions.

Such community “actions” in the past have been responded to by government and industry by initiating direct meetings to discuss options and solutions to very real problems and concerns. This has lead to regularly meeting with the community, who represent, and in many instances who are the actual consumers of the products generated by industry and government. This process has led to practices that are mutually beneficial to all stakeholders – expedited and ethical drug development and research, resulting in greater profits for industry and the dramatic extension of life and quality of life of people with HIV/AIDS.

We believe Abbott’s aggressive legal moves are disproportionate and misguided. We call on Abbott to immediately withdraw its lawsuit, to meet with ACT UP-Paris and agree to change its current hostile policies and practices. If Abbott continues to bully ACT UP-Paris and patients internationally, AIDS organizations will have no choice but to continue to engage in such “actions” and to inform all stakeholders of the unethical practices implemented by Abbott Laboratories.

The undersigned organizations stand firm in their solidarity with the Thai HIV community and ACT UP-Paris. We welcome this opportunity to debate Abbott’s shameful policies in Thailand and elsewhere. Regardless of Abbott’s decision on the case against ACT UP-Paris, we will not be intimidated and we will continue to do everything in our power to convince the company to reverse its unprecedented decisions to stifle freedom of speech and deprive the Thai people of life-saving medications.

Actions Traitements, France

African HIV Policy Network, UK

AIDES, France

AIDS ACCESS Foundation, Thailand

AIDS Action Baltimore, USA

AIDS Cell Ibn Sina Academy, India

AIDS Healthcare Foundation, USA

AIDS Treatment Activists Coalition (ATAC), USA

American Medical Student Association (AMSA), USA

Arbeitsgemeinschaft Aids & Haft, Germany

Arcigay Il Cassero, Italy

Asia Pacific Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (APN+)

Body Positive, New Zealand

Body Positive Waikato, New Zealand

Canadian Treatment Action Council (CTAC), Canada

CNCD -11.11.11, Belgium

Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project (CHAMP), USA

Delhi Network of Positive People (DNP+), India

END AIDS NOW!, USA, Great Britain, Denmark, France

European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG), Belgium

European Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (ENP+), The Netherlands

Foundation for Integrative AIDS Research (FIAR), USA

Georgian Plus Group, Georgia

Global AIDS Alliance, USA

Global Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (GNP+), The Netherlands

GRAIN, Spain

Grupo de Trabajo sobre Tratamientos del VIH (gTt), Spain

Grupo Português de Activistas sobre Tratamentos de VIH/SIDA (GAT), Portugal

Health GAP (Global Access Project), USA

HIV Scotland, UK

Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (HCLU), Hungary

International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (ICW)

International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC)

Israel AIDS Task Force, Israel

Lega Italiana per la Lotta contro l'Aids (LILA), Italy

Japanese Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (JaNP+), Japan

Malaysian Treatment Access & Advocacy Group (MTAAG+), Malaysia

Network of Zimbabwean Positive Women (NZPW+), Zimbabwe

New York Buyers' Club (NYBC), USA

Passerelle SIDA, Burkina Faso

PITA Foundation, Indonesia

Positive-Generation, Cameroun

Project Inform, USA

Russian Harm Reduction Network, Russia

SERES, Portugal

SIDACTION, France

Syndicat National des Entreprises Gaies (SNEG), France

Thai Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (TNP+), Thailand

The Centre, Zimbabwe

TRT-5, France

UK Coalition of People Living with HIV and AIDS (UKC), UK

Virtus, Ukraine

Etiquetas: Abbott, Act Up, Thailand

Dançando com o perigo

Etiquetas: drugs, prevenção

AidsPortugal

Cuidados nos doentes co-infectados por VIH e Vírus da Hepatite C: actualização 2007 das recomendações do Painel Internacional HCV-HIV

A co-infecção por VHC e VIH constitui uma preocupação actual, no contexto da infecção por VIH/SIDA, pela prevalência e progressão da patologia.
As guidelines do HCV-HIV International Panel actualizam as recomendações no contexto da abordagem dos doentes co-infectados.

A Infecção crónica por Vírus da Hepatite C (VHC) constitui presentemente uma das comorbilidades com maior relevância clínica, entre a população infectada por VIH; de uma forma geral, afecta um terço dos indivíduos infectados por VIH.

A progressão para doença hepática de fase terminal ocorre mais rapidamente em doentes co-infectados e a cirrose descompensada constitui uma das principais causas de hospitalização e mortalidade nesta população. Para além disso, o risco de hepatotoxicidade associado à utilização de anti-retrovíricos encontra-se aumentado em indivíduos com infecção por VHC.

Assim, a abordagem da Hepatite C crónica em indivíduos infectados por VIH é actualmente considerada uma prioridade.

Estas guidelines do HCV-HIV International Panel constituem uma actualização das recomendações clínicas nesta área, e estão estruturadas em onze categorias:

· Abordagem de doentes com níveis de aminotransferases persistentemente normais;

· Avaliação da fibrose hepática: quando e como;

· Preditores da resposta à terapêutica anti-VHC em doentes co-infectados;

· Doses óptimas de interferão peguilado (pegIFN) e ribavirina (RBV);

· Duração óptima da terapêutica anti-VHC;

· Tratamento em não-respondedores e/ou recidivas;

· Cuidados nos doentes com doença hepática terminal;

· Tratamento da infecção aguda por VHC em indivíduos infectados por VIH;

· Abordagem de doentes com múltiplos vírus da Hepatite;

· Interacções entre a medicação do VHC e anti-retrovíricos;

· Hepatotoxicidade de anti-retrovíricos.

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Etiquetas: Hepatites

Saúde sapo 10.07.07

A partir do próximo mês de Setembro, o Portal da Saúde da União Europeia vai lançar um boletim informativo electrónico, com periodicidade quinzenal, para divulgar as principais notícias e actividades relacionadas com a área da saúde a nível europeu e internacional.

O “Boletim Informativo Saúde-UE” será traduzido nas vinte línguas oficiais, com o objectivo de se aproximar os cidadãos, profissionais de saúde e entidades do sector.
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O número zero já está disponível e pode ser consultado a partir daqui.

O Partido Populista insiste em trazer o tema polémico ao debate.

Lusa 08.07.07

O candidato do CDS-PP à Câmara Municipal de Lisboa Telmo Correia acusou o seu adversário Carmona Rodrigues de "mentir" sobre a criação de salas de chuto na capital.

Numa conferência de imprensa, Telmo Correia apresentou o boletim municipal da Câmara de 29 de Novembro de 2006, que relata a aprovação dos ICAR (Instalações de Consumo Apoiado para a Recuperação), por 14 votos a favor (incluindo o do ex-presidente da Câmara Carmona Rodrigues), duas abstenções e o voto contra do CDS-PP.
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Etiquetas: drugs, prevenção

Agência Aids 02.07.07

A Representante do UNICEF no Brasil, Marie-Pierre Poirier, entregou o primeiro lote do anti-retroviral genérico Efavirenz ao diretor-adjunto do Programa Nacional de DST e Aids, do Ministério da Saúde, Eduardo Barbosa, nesta segunda-feira, no setor de cargas do Aeroporto Internacional Juscelino Kubitschek. Estavam presentes ainda o coordenador da UNAIDS no Brasil, Laurent Zissler, e Fabio Santos e Raimundo Lima, representantes da Rede Nacional de Pessoas Vivendo com HIV.

O Efavirenz, produzido pelo laboratório indiano Aurobindo, foi comprado pelo governo brasileiro, por meio do Fundo das Nações Unidas para a Infância (UNICEF), e em breve estará disponível na rede pública de saúde para as 75 mil pessoas que vivem com o HIV e usam o medicamento como parte do tratamento.
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Etiquetas: Efavirenze

Pantin, France, July 1st, 2007

People Living with HIV: Let's change the rules imposed by the pharmaceutical industry!

AIDES calls upon all People living with HIV who can to ask their doctor to prescribe them treatments that are not those produced by Abbott, if their health condition allows it. AIDES also call upon medical practitioners to prescribe treatments that are not those produced by Abbott, to stop participating to conferences organised by Abbott, and to no longer accept visits from Abbott representatives.

This assertive call was just made by AIDES General Director Vincent Pelletier in his opening speech at the AIDS Impact international conference on human, economic and social sciences in relation to HIV, in Marseille, France.

This call is aimed against the decision taken by the company Abbott to no longer market its new medicines in Thailande, including the pill version of Kaletra, a second-line antiretroviral treatment. This decision by Abbott followed the announcement by the government of Thailand that it would issue mandatory licenses, including for treatments that are now part of Abbott monopoly. Mandatory licenses allow governments to produce or to import generic copies of medicines that are of equivalent quality but less expensive. The World Trade Organisation authorizes this procedure.

Thailand plans to grant a compulsory license notably for Kaletra in order to be able to provide this treatment that is vital for People living with HIV who need to change their treatment regimen after their HIV virus has become resistant. A compulsory licence would thus enable Thailand to import generic versions of this medicine for a cost lower than that of the brand name Abbott version of the treatment.

Abbott has therefore knowledgeably decided to deprive People living with HIV in Thailand from an essential treatment. Beyond Thailand, developing countries worldwide are also directly feeling threatened by this despicable revengeful measure.

In addition to this blackmail, Abbott just initiated a lawsuit against Act Up-Paris in response to actions that took place on April 26, 2007: an Act Up-Paris initiated attempt to saturate the Abbott website by repeatedly connecting to it that mobilized several hundred people worldwide. Abbott is therefore proceeding to sue an association of people living with HIV and their peers .

AIDES hereby asks Abbott to end its legal proceeding against Act Up-Paris and asks all pharmaceutical companies to stop taking revengeful measures against countries that make use of compulsory licences.

AIDES also call upon other key actors of the fight against AIDS (the French Orders of Medical Practitioners and of Pharmacists, LEEM - the French pharmaceutical industry union) including also Mr Jean-François Delfraissy (ANRS Director), Gilles Brücker (InVs Director), Philippe Douste-Blazy (UNITAID president), Louis-Charles Viossat (French Ambassador on AIDS) et Michel Kazatchkine (Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria) to take a public stand with regards to the behaviour of the pharmaceutical company Abbott.

Etiquetas: Abbott

DN 30.06.07

A dádiva e colheita de órgãos em vida já é possível entre cônjuges ou amigos, desde que autorizada pela Entidade de Verificação da Admissibilidade da Colheita para Transplante (EVA), de acordo com a Lei 22/2007, publicada ontem em Diário da República. A doação em vida era barrada a cônjuges ou amigos e apenas permitida nos casos de parentesco até ao terceiro grau.

"A nova lei vem alargar a doação em vida. Antes, havia muitos casos de cônjuges ou de amigos que não o podiam fazer e iam, por vezes, a outros países", avançou ao DN Eduardo Barroso, presidente da Autoridade para os Serviços de Sangue e de Transplantação. Na opinião do cirurgião, esta lei "vai fazer a diferença e aumentar muito a doação de órgãos em vida".
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Etiquetas: transplantes

Lusa 29.06.07

O Partido Ecologista Os Verdes (PEV) defende a instalação de uma sala de consumo assistido de droga, vulgarmente designada como `sala de chuto`, no Bairro do Aleixo, Porto, tendo questionado o Ministério da Saúde sobre essa possibilidade.

Na sequência de uma visita que o grupo parlamentar realizou a 19 de Junho ao Bairro do Aleixo, um dos mais problemáticos da cidade do Porto, o PEV entregou um requerimento na Assembleia da República solicitando que o Ministério da Saúde esclareça se "está a ser ponderada" a instalação de um equipamento de consumo assistido no Porto.
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Etiquetas: drugs, prevenção

Ver trailer.

Etiquetas: Sicko