보도자료 Press
Mike Nelson
International Communications Manager
Roche
+ 41 61 688 0236 (office)
+ 41 79 572 5165 (mobile)
Roche Statement on "Global Week of Action Against Roche."
Roche would like to provide clarification on the current status of Fuzeon® (enfuvirtide) in South Korea in response to false statements made by ACT UP Paris in its call for a "Global Week of Action Against Roche."
Roche has not received any requests from physicians or patients in South Korea regarding the availability of Fuzeon, and so we do not believe that patients in need are currently without access to the medication. However, we are engaged in pricing negotiations with the health authority of South Korea and we are convinced that we will come to a satisfactory agreement as we have in other developed countries.
We have also been engaged in discussions with local civic groups on the price regulation process because we want them to understand that Roche is committed to making Fuzeon available.
The statement being circulated by ACT UP Paris and others claimed that the Roche manager of S. Korea made offensive statements in a meeting, including "saving lives is none of our business." This is simply not true.
Roche has taken its role to improve access to HIV medicines very seriously. We seek sustainable and ethical ways to create partnerships, policies and programmes that increase access to our medicines. We supply our antiretrovirals, Invirase and Viracept, at no profit and reduced prices for people living in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), sub-Saharan Africa and low-income/lower-middle income countries.
Roche has also established transparent no patent policies for all its medicines, so intellectual property is not a barrier to access for any of our medicines in the world's LDCs. This is extended to patents on antiretrovirals in sub-Saharan Africa, the poorest and hardest hit region by HIV/AIDS.
2008.10.1