Eastern Europe & Central AsiaIP/ Trade developments & civil society

Olena, All-Ukrainian Network of PLHIVDenis, ITPCru

Raminta, EATG / OSF

Civil Society Sstrategy Meeting on the Future of Access to Medicines, BKK, 13-15 Dec 2011

• 12+3 countries of different sizes and shapes

• Middle income, few low income

• Proximity to the EU

• Influence of patternalistic Russia

Increasing IP & data exclusivity protection

• WTO/FTA/EU accession– (Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, ...)– But national legislation goes even for higher protection (recent

Ukraine Law on Medicines: higher data exclusivity protections than required via its agreements with WTO and EU)

• Regional • Eurasian Patent Organization: gateway to register regional

patents• Customs union – impact to be reviewed

• Some flexibilities remain (competition law, CL/Gvt use..)• Little understanding of the issues

– Community (exceptions: Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, 2-3 regional people – key success of the last 3 years)

– Govnts (some more knowledge through regional UNDP workshops)

– UNDP national offices..

Major problems with A2M?• Local pharmaceutical industry – strategic priority (Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan)

• National budgets for meds increase but access 40-60%• Quality

– Probably some real problems / low quality standards at regulatory level and corruption, particularly for domestic production

– All patient communities: generics are not good (we want European standard)

• Corruption in tenders & registration:– Russia pays higher prices for hepC, some ARV meds than in the EU;

only six generic ARV registered/3 purchased– Ukraine: major HIV network’s efforts to increase transparency of

procurement• Enforcing patents: more activity and interest from big pharma

• HIV: Merck,GSK, Abbott/Ukraine..

• Key issue - transparency

Community advocacy in A2M in 2009-2011

• Hepatitis C Tx advocacy– National commitment– Community organizing

• IP– Kyrgyzstan: Patent Law review, community

organizing, mobilizing UNDP support– First attempts to influence FTA/WTO negotiations: KZ,

Ukr– Advocacy around data exclusivity in Ukraine

• HIV: Reactive advocacy re ART access– Interruptions, tender monitoring