Mercosur leaders suggest lifting patent rights to produce anti A/flu vaccines

Speaking in the framework of Mercosur summit in Paraguay, the leaders of Argentina and Brazil suggested Friday that developing countries be allowed to lift patent rights so they can produce more vaccines to battle the A/H1N1 virus flu pandemic.

"It would be very advantageous to propitiate a kind of lifting or suspension of the patents law because the World Health Organization has recognized that we're dealing with an epidemic" Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner said in her main speech to Mercosur leaders.

Failing to act could mean “condemning millions of people to death" while "suspending" the patents law could save millions of lives, added the Argentine president.

"I hope this won't be misconstrued because I'm not talking about disavowing patent law" underlined Mrs. Kirchner adding that “ I'm saying that given this unprecedented pandemic recognized by the WHO, many times some laboratories cannot keep up with world demand for vaccines".

However according to Brazilian news agency reports, President Lula da Silva was more direct and proposed that leaders discuss breaking the patents law to help contain the A/flu pandemic.

The official Brazilian government news agency said Health Minister Jose Gomes Temporao is negotiating with all vaccine producers to boost the vaccine's availability. "Brazil is willing to defend the health security of its population" the minister was quoted.

Brazil has been successful in recent years in convincing pharmaceutical companies to offer discounts on HIV medication. In 2007 the Brazilian government issued a compulsory license to break the patent on an antiretroviral AIDS drug made by US pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co.

Mrs. Kirchner said Argentina and Brazil both have highly developed pharmaceutical industries and should be able to produce vaccine "that wouldn't be free," Argentina's state news agency, Telam, reported.

But," Telam quoted the president as saying, "it's beyond question that we're confronting a situation in which the needs of millions of people cannot be subordinated to economic interests".

This week it was announced in Buenos Aires that the local Malbran Institute research laboratory had been successful in discovering the dominant flu strain genome in Argentina, which does not have significant differences with the one detected in other parts of the world, which was described as a “very important revelation” because it will help laboratories to advance in the manufacturing of counter products.

Argentine health authorities announced this week they had identified the complete genome of the A/H1N1 flu virus which so far has caused almost 200 deaths according to official numbers.

The announcement was done by scientists from the Malbran Institute which described the discovery as a “central document” for the elaboration of a vaccine against the disease.

According to the sequence obtained by the experts the dominant virus in Argentina “does not have significant differences” with the one detected in other parts of the world, a “very important revelation” because the strains will help for laboratories to advance in the manufacturing of counter products.

The official announcement was done by Deputy Minister of Health, Fernando Avellaneda, the head of Malbrán Institute Gustavo Ríos and scientist Elsa Baumeister who was in charge of the research.

“It is crucial information for the elaboration of the vaccine, which nevertheless is a complex which still requires several technical steps. With this identification we can really assimilate the virus situation of the country”, said Rios.

“The virus prevalent in Argentina is very similar to others registered in other countries such as Mexico and the Unites States, where the first cases of the outbreak were reported in mid April” indicated Dr. Baumeister.

The Malbrán lab has the necessary equipment, know-how and personnel for the identification of A/flu cases.

Gov't buys 88.4 million pesos in drugs to combat swine flu, 47 new cases

The Health Ministry reported today 47 new cases of H1N1 A virus in Argentina, which add up to 918 cases since the outbreak of the deadly illness.

The health portfolio said that "there are no news of the hospitalized people - many of them still in intesnive care units".

The Health Ministry has purchased medicines to combat spreading H1N1 influenza for 88.4 million pesos, said the Official Gazette today.

The decision was based on the recommendations issued by the Pan-American Health Organization and the World Health Organizations, which aims at providing two million units of Tamiflu - an antiviral drug which is the main drug in swine flu patients -, as well as 240,000 doses of that drug for paediatric use, the Official Gazzette said.

Four people have died in Argentine as a result of swine flu. There have been more than 800 confirmed cases of the illness.

"The purchase was conducted by the Health Ministry as part of the state of pandemic emergency," it added. Two million doses were bought from Finadiet, 1.4 million pills from Sidus, 6 million from Richmond Lab., and 840,000 units from LKM lab.