보도자료 Press
South Korean Activists Refutation on Roche’s false statement
Roche’s Statement on "Global Action against Roche" is based on faulty information and attempts to mislead what is happened in Korea.
■ Roche insists that there are no patients in need to access to Fuzeon, but it is not true as following reasons.
1. While Fuzeon was permitted to market since 2004, it has never been supplied in Korean. As a result, physicians or patients in South Korea ultimately did not have a chance to choose Fuzeon for prescription and use it.
2. April 20 2007, when Roche Korea applied drug price re-evaluation, september 2007 Korean health authority, HIRA(Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service), reasserted that Fuzeon is an essential drug for HIV-positive people in the case of which the duplication of virus still continued while they tried anti-retroviral therapy.
3. The Korean Society of HIV/AIDS estimated that until the December 2007, 1000 HIV-positive people were using anti-HIV drugs and 88 to 138 people had drug resistance. South Korea health authority also estimated that 310 patients had drug resistance to existing 3 kinds of anti-HIV drugs(NRTI, NNRTI, PI). It shows that there are hundreds of latent needs to Fuzeon.
4. If Roche is so sure that there are no patients who need Fuzeon, why did they ask price advance in 2005 and 2007? The successive requests of price advance are incompatible with Roche’s statement.
5. During three years, AIDS activist have claimed formally and informally the supply of Fuzeon and the press informed the story of a patient who need Fuzeon desperately. However, before the July 2008 when AIDS activist request the meeting with the president of Roche Korea Mr. Urs, Roche totally ignored the claims of AIDS activists.
6. Now, in Korea, there is no way to access to Fuzeon without giving up the treatment or requesting aids to foreign aids groups. To solve this problem, one AIDS patients filed a complaint to the National Human Rights Commission of Korea. The complaint includes the story of the severe pain and suffering caused by lack of Fuzeon. It is very clear that Roche’s refusing of the supply of Fuzeon severely has threatened the life of people living with HIV/AIDS in Korea.
■ The price negotiation for Fuzeon is already failed.
1. Now, the price negotiation for Fuzeon is officially and unofficially finished. While Roche insists that the pricing negotiation is ongoing, they have to present clear evidence that they are still trying to meet a resolution.
2. Korean government has no intention to advance drug price up to level of advanced countries level. There is no logical ground to give a higher price as Roche requested.
■ Roche said "Saving lives is none of our business" This is simply true!
1. In discussions with Korean AIDS activist and Roche, July 3 2008, Mr. Urs and four of executives not only failed to explain the logical ground of Fuzeon’s price but also prove that the only concern of Roche was profit.
2. In the discussion, Korea Activist asked the logical evidences of price evaluation and the R&D cost for Fuzeon. Mr. Urs’s answer was that Roche Korea had no data for R&D cost and only the head office knows this kind of information. To confirm the legitimacy of price of Fuzeon, Roche has to make public all of information related to R&D and price evaluation.
3. The only information that Mr. Urs presented to us is World Bank’s data of national income index and 2008 financial report of Korea National Health Insurance. Using this information, Mr. Urs insisted that the price in Korea has to be same as other advanced countries. Because World Bank’s index shows that Korea is high-income country like U.S.A and there are no red figures in the financial report. If Roche has so strong faith in World Bank’s index, they should answer that why the employees in Roche Korea can not receive the same annual salary as employees in Roche Swiss.
4. Mr. Urs, the president of Roche Korea, revealed that the supply of drug is only calculated by national purchasing power. In May 21 2008, Pharmaceutical Newspaper reported the Mr. Urs’s conviction on purchasing power. And it clearly demonstrates that Roche only cares about their profit and ignores patient’s need to medicine.
5. Opposite to Mr. Urs’ assertion, in the discussion with Korean Activists, Choi In Hwa, the executive of Roche Korea, mentioned that decision for drug supply is determined by "needs" not by "purchasing power". If the needs are so decisive, what is the reason that Fuzeon is not supplied to Afirica, Southeast Asia, and Latin America where the needs of Fuzeon may be enomorous?
6. Lastly, in the discussion, Korean AIDS activists require Roche to transfer the patent of Fuzeon to other Korean pharmaceutical company or public organization in the situation that Roche do not have any specific plan to supply Fuzeon in Korea. But Roche just ridiculed our request. As suggested the Roche’s response, Roche did not seek any sustainable and ethical ways to increase access to their medicines.
■ The Roche’s effort for supplying antiretrovirals to developing countries is nothing but sweet talk.
1. Roche said that they supplied Invirase and Viracept at no profit and reduced prices for people living in some countries. However, the price is still very high to afford. We remember the unforgettable moment when James Kamau, the member of Kenya Treatment Access Movement, pointed out that Roche’s price structure would result in deaths even in Africa where $890 a year is still completely unaffordable. Also, we clearly know that even though Roche declare that they sell Viracept at $890, in the other lower middle level income countries including Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Caribbean, Roche still sell the same Viracept at 2900$. How could we agree that Roche’s way of selling is sustainable and ethical?
2. In June 2007, Viracept recalled in Europe and New Zealand due to some problems in manufacturing process. Is the manufacturing process of Viracept improved?
- What we want!
1. Do not distort facts! It is already revealed that the reason of refusing of the supply of Fuzeon is only the price. It is a lie that there are no needs to Fuzeon in Korea. Do not put your "attempt at murder" to patients.
2. Open the R&D cost and production cost to the public. It is the first step in right direction to set reasonable and affordable price for Fuzeon.
3. Hear the peopleliving with HIV/AIDS’ voice! We claim our right to live.
2008.10.1
Korean Groups of Global Action against Roche
Contact:
Jin-ok
Korean Pharmacists for Democratic Society
3F, 26-1, Ewha-Dong, Chongro-Gu, Seoul, South Korea
Website : http://www.pharmacist.or.kr
E-mail : naengee@hotmail.com
Fax : 82-2-766-6025
Bo-kyung
Nanuri+, Solidarity for HIV/AIDS Human Rights
Website: http://www.aidsmove.net
E-mail: seobo17@gmail.com
Mobile: 82-16-407-8910