Online event on Thursday 27 January 2022. Register here.
The Pharmaceutical Accountability Foundation (PAF; in Dutch: Farma ter Verantwoording) aims to promote equitable, affordable access to medicines. Pharmaceutical companies say they respect the UN Business and human rights principles. But in our GCCP project and scorecard we have found mixed results in the implementation of these responsibilities.
In a recent series of webinars we have analysed the power of law in getting access to medicines: our first webinar discussed examples of NGOs taking such action (International Treatment Preparedness Coalition, Treatment Action Campaign, Medicines Law & Policy, Médecins Sans Frontières).
Based on these real-life examples and our own experiences we have developed a set of guidelines for NGOs that are considering possible legal action against pharmaceutical companies which are not respecting their human rights responsibilities.
The Guidelines for Legal Action by NGOs will be sent to attendees before the event.
In this webinar we want to walk you through the guidelines, illustrated with more examples of how the power of law has been used to achieve access to medicine. We will discuss the idea that in addition to publishing, discussing, or campaigning, legal action could be an additional tool for NGOs in the fight for Access to Medicines.
The presentations will be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A on the Guidelines for Legal Action by NGOs.
Speakers will include:
- Wilbert Bannenberg from the Pharmaceutical Accountability Foundation, on our own case against Leadiant for abusing its dominant market position regarding the CDCA drug
- Patrick Durisch from Public Eye, on the patent opposition case against Novartis on its Kymriah treatment
- Peter Maybarduk from Public Citizen, on health rights litigation cases
- James Love from Knowledge Ecology International (KEI) on using the Freedom of Information Act
Patrick Durisch
Patrick Durisch is a veterinary doctor and MAS in Public Health. He has >25 years of experience working with NGOs in the Middle East, Africa, France and Switzerland. He has also worked as a scientific collaborator in the pandemic preparedness unit of the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health. Since February 2009, Patrick has served as a Health Policy expert for the Swiss advocacy NGO Public Eye (formerly known as Berne Declaration).
For several decades, Public Eye has campaigned to Swiss stakeholders for improved access to medicines, ethical clinical testing in developing countries, pharmaceutical innovation that primarily responds to public health needs and other related issues. Public Eye has been gathering experience in the fields of intellectual property rights, pharmaceutical R&D, political lobbying and public awareness-raising campaigns.
Peter Maybarduk
Peter Maybarduk studied technology law at Berkeley Law School (University of California) and anthropology at The College of William & Mary in Virginia. He directs Public Citizen’s access to medicines group, which helps partners worldwide make medicine available and affordable for all. Peter has provided technical assistance to public agencies and civil society organizations in several dozen countries.
His work has supported major medicine price reductions and new state access to medicine policies, as well as helped defeat harmful proposals in legislation and trade deals. Peter and his colleagues have helped organize the global movement for COVID vaccine access and rallied support for new vaccine manufacturing funding and technology transfer. He also founded International Professional Partnerships for Sierra Leone, a non-profit dedicated to supporting public sector development in one of the world’s least developed countries.
James Love
James Love is Director of Knowledge Ecology International (KEI). He advises UN agencies, national governments, international and regional intergovernmental organizations and public health NGOs, and regularly publishes articles on innovation and intellectual property rights.
KEI was founded in 2006. His work focuses on the production, management and access to knowledge resources, and currently on access to drugs, vaccines and other medical technologies related to COVID-19.
Wilbert Bannenberg
Wilbert Bannenberg is an MD / public health consultant, who has worked in Afrika and Asia as advisor for health ministries and international organizations on better acess to essential medicines. He has been at the basis of several public health NGOs such as Wemos, HERA, E-Drug and Health Action International (HAI).
He is chairman of the board of the Pharmaceutical Accountability Foundation (PAF) since this was founded in 2018. One of the first cases PAF filed was an enforcement request at the Dutch competition autority (ACM) against Leadiant for CDCA.
Since the pandemic, PAF has worked on the ‘Good Corona Company Practices’ (GCCP) project, stimulating better access to covid-19 vaccines and medicines worldwide. Recently, PAF has published the ‘Guidelines for legal Actions by NGOs’ and is working on the ‘Guidelines for Responsible Pharmaceutical Behaviour’.