Indonesia demands 'a fair go' for poor countries over bird flu vaccines

May 15 2007

Indonesia has taken the lead in demanding that poor countries have equal access to bird flu vaccines.

In a resolution representing 17 countries, Indonesia has announced that the 50-year-old policy of the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding the sharing of samples of viruses is unfair on poor countries.

Indonesia says in most cases, they can not always afford to purchase the vaccine which has often resulted from samples of the virus they have provided.

The announcement came at the annual World Health Assembly just as Indonesia is about to resume sharing virus samples with the WHO following a five-month stalling of the process.

Led by Indonesia, developing countries are asking for their fair share of bird flu vaccines; as they are the source of many bird flu cases, sharing samples with the rest of the world. They consider they are justified in demanding equal consideration when it comes to the provision of vaccines.

Indonesian Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari says the current policy is unfair to poor countries because they often cannot afford the resulting vaccine patented by drug companies that is created from their freely given samples.

Supari told the assembly that genetic sequencing had been used in published research, commercialisation and patent requests without consent, and such practice violates the spirit in which the virus is given.

Supari says an equitable sharing mechanism is not about royalties but about a basic human right to health.

She says Indonesia had recently sent several samples to the WHO which were "only for pandemic risk assessment and research and not for commercial use" but also made it clear that Jakarta had held back some virus samples pending a wider agreement.

Supari says Indonesia will insist drug companies wishing to develop a vaccine from its samples seek its permission; in return Indonesia would want guarantees on preferential pricing, a fair distribution of vaccines worldwide and transfer of technology.

Indonesia in February signed a memorandum of understanding with a unit of U.S. company Baxter International to develop a bird flu vaccine.

The United Nations agency has indeed been under growing pressure from countries hard-hit by the disease and is attempting to create a new formula for sharing of samples and the resulting benefits.

David Heymann, a senior WHO bird flu official says that sharing was essential to track the virus's evolution worldwide and also acknowledged that some WHO collaborating centres had indeed sought patents on "parts of the virus" they had obtained through the network.

The bird flu virus has to date killed over 170 people since it re-emerged in 2003; seventy six of those deaths have been in Indonesia, the worst hit country so far.

Although it remains essentially a disease of birds, scientists are concerned the virus will mutate into a strain easily spread amongst people, which could potentially kill millions.

Indonesia, Laos and Iraq are among the 17 sponsors of the resolution which is also supported by Vietnam and Cambodia.

The resolution will be debated for possible inception before the assembly ends on May 23rd.