Aids Healthcare Foundation protests in Waterfall City against Gilead Sciences
“It is impossible for patients in low and middle-income countries to access quality, new effective drugs without Gilead granting patent rights to generic drug manufactures," said AHF's country programme director, Dr Kate Ssamula. .
The Aids Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is calling for one of the biggest biopharmaceutical giants, Gilead Sciences to put lives before profits.
AHF accuses Gilead of overpricing HIV and hepatitis C drugs, making them unaffordable for many people and allegedly denying access to life-saving medications.
On May 26, about 150 to 190 protesters held placards, dressed in black jerseys and t-shirts written ‘Gilead greed kills’.
They picketed outside an office park in Waterfall City, Midrand where the Gilead offices are based.
Among their demands, the foundation calls on the biopharmaceutical firm to prioritise the health and wellbeing of patients.
AHF said Gilead should do that by stopping continual patents, also known as ‘evergreening’ on existing HIV/AIDS drugs like Truvada – saying this is exploitation, not innovation.
Country programme director Dr Kate Ssamula said they also demand that the science firm opens up the license for the generic production of the hepatitis C drug – Harvoni to all low and middle-income countries without exception.
“For the duration of the Covid-19 pandemic, sell or license remdesivir for generic distribution at a nonprofit price. License technology to produce treatment for cryptococcal meningitis to generic manufacturers. Link executive compensation to the impact on positive public health outcomes and access to medicines in developing countries”.
She said in addition to overpricing its drugs, Gilead has consistently blocked attempts to introduce cheaper generic versions.
And refused to register some medications in lower-income countries, further intensifying the access barriers.
Ssamula said AHF is taking its grassroots campaign global, with protests and actions planned worldwide, to raise awareness about Gilead’s shameful practices.
“Patients in low and middle-income countries can’t access quality, new effective drugs without Gilead granting patent rights to generic drug manufacturers. Gilead must be held accountable for arbitrarily placing a price on who lives and who dies by keeping the most effective, modern, and lifesaving medicines out of reach of
millions of people in low- and middle-income countries,” added Ssamula.
Before the protests, AHF held a press briefing at the hotel in Waterfall, adjacent to the office park on May 23.
At the briefing, Gilead Science representatives were absent despite the foundation saying they have extended the invite to them.
Midrand Reporter sent questions for Gilead to respond to the accusation on May 29 via email address while attempts to call proved futile as their phones rang unanswered.
They had not responded at the time of going to print.
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