FW: [Pharmwaste] Please see the top article on newsletter below. I have asked for a copy of the Senate amendment. Stevan

Fri Feb 2 09:41:16 EST 2007

I was asked to resend as text. Stevan

From: pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us
[mailto:pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us] On Behalf Of gressitt
Sent: Friday, February 02, 2007 9:18 AM
To: gressitt at gmail.com; naddg at mainecenteronaging.org;
unused at www.mainecenteronaging.org; pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us; 'David
Stitzhal'; drugdisposal at mainebenzo.org; drugpolicy at mainecenteronaging.org
Subject: [Pharmwaste] Please see the top article on newsletter below. I have
asked for a copy of the Senate amendment. Stevan

FW: newsletter PSFCI 01-07

From: Ghisleine SOULIER [mailto:g.soulier at psf-ci.org] 
Sent: Friday, February 02, 2007 6:19 AM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: TR : newsletter PSFCI 01-07

January 2007

We need you to help them
click here to donate

>>

Click here to get a PDF version of the newsletter.
________________________________________
France is finally up to speed on the issue of Unused Medicines
It was with great relief that PSFCI learned that, on 24 January 2007, the
French Senate adopted the amendment—passed by the French National
Assembly—to prohibit the use of unused medicines for humanitarian purposes.
Many French organisations continued to dump them in the health centres of
poor countries, thereby disrupting the implementation of regulated National
Drug Policies that ensure the quality of medicines, and supporting an
expanding illicit trade in pharmaceuticals. Since 1996, the WHO and its
relief and development partners have been calling for the suspension of such
shipments (Guidelines for drug donations Art. 5)
But why allow a period of 18 months to “enable the organisations concerned
to locate new supply sources”? These sources have existed for a long time
and all humanitarian and development actors know them.
- in the acute phase of an emergency, emergency health kits designed by the
WHO and its partners are provided by centres specialising in essential
medicines. Each kit contains basic supplies for a population of 10,000
persons for 3 months. In post-emergency situations, coordination committees
and the Ministry of Health will help to find out what medicines are normally
used by health professionals in the country and who their suppliers are in
order not to import medicines unknown to doctors, nurses and patients.
- as for development aid, countries have, since the early 90s, put in place
supply and distribution channels for drugs included in a National List of
Essential Drugs (NLED) defined by the Ministry of Health, which also
develops treatment protocols based on this list. All orders are consolidated
at the national level in order to take advantage of economies of scale. As
part of development assistance to help countries to be self-sufficient,
medicines must be sourced through official channels.
PSFCI welcomes this vote, but would like compliance with the Guidelines for
Drug Donations and National Drug Policies of developing countries or
countries in a crisis situation to be in the law.
Pharmaciens Sans Frontières Comité International has been struggling for
more than 10 years to prohibit the use of unused medicines in humanitarian
aid programmes and development projects by pressing the successive
ministries of health to ensure that France applies the WHO Guidelines for
Drugs Donations developed in cooperation with the major international
agencies active in humanitarian relief, including PSFCI.
Incorporating these Guidelines into the law would provide authority to
require all stakeholders to ensure that national drug policies in recipient
countries are complied with. Compliance with these drug policies is
essential if we want the population of these countries to have access to
quality essential drugs. To undermine these policies by sending donations is
to condemn millions of people to death.
PSFCI commends the members of the French National Assembly and the French
Senate for voting and adopting this amendment, but it calls for more focus
on the proposed solutions for French pharmaceutical assistance to developing
countries. The solution is not in the donation of medicines, be they unused
or not, but in the support to the National Drug Policies of these countries
ensuring geographical and financial access to quality medicines for the
population through secure and reliable supply and distribution systems; it
is also in the support to the financial viability of community health
centres, in training sessions and in the transfer of responsibilities to
local health systems stakeholders.

EVENTS

MSF’s petition:
“Millions of people around the world today rely on affordable medicines
produced in India. India’s law contains elements that help put people before
patients, but NOVARTIS is taking the Indian government to court to force a
change in the law. Neither Novartis, nor any company, should stand in the
way of people’s right to access the medicines they need. We urge Novartis to
DROP THE CASE against the Indian government.”
To sign the petition online: www.msf.org/petition_india/usa.html

MISSIONS

Democratic Republic of the Congo
This 3-year programme involves the setting up of a procurement and
distribution network for essential generic drugs and medical supplies for
the 1,922,863 people living in the health district of Tanganyika. It is
funded by the 9th EDF with 2,499,990 euros in the framework of the Linking
Relief, Rehabilitation and Development (LRRD) process. 
Three pharmaceutical depots linked to CADMETA are to be established in Moba,
Manono and Kongolo. Texts will be developed and given juridical validation
prior to the transfer of responsibilities to local stakeholders who will be
trained to ensure the most effective operation of the network.

In compliance with the French data protection act in the law of 6 January
1978 (CNIL), you have the right to access and correct information about
yourself. You can exercise this right by writing to PSF-CI Service
informatique 4 Voie Militaire des Gravanches 63100- Clermont-Ferrand
(France).

For the largest pharmacy in the world always to stay on duty 

PSF-CI 
Banque Populaire du Massif Central
Compte n° 11907 00080 00829947407 14
IBAN FR76 1190 7000 8000 8299 4740 714
BIC CCBPFRPPCFD
Ghislaine Soulier
Responsable Communication
Pharmaciens Sans Frontières Comité International
4 voie Militaire des Gravanches
63100 Clermont-Ferrand - France
Tél : 04 73 98 23 59 - Fax 04 73 98 24 90 - Mobile 06 84 53 56 77
E-mail : g.soulier at psf-ci.org
Site Web : www.psfci.org

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