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The United Nations’ special rapporteur on the right to health is to
investigate how pharmaceutical companies can improve the health of the
world’s poor, beyond the commercial sale of products.
Paul Hunt, who was appointed by the UN in 2002 to advise on health policy, had hoped a number of drugs companies would do the research jointly (EP6, issue 9, p2), but found little interest. Now he plans to go it alone.
Hunt told EP: ‘All but two pharmas rejected my specific idea, which was that for two years they and some human rights experts discuss and agree a joint report, followed by a three-year period in which a body of independent experts use that joint report to assess the practices of some pharmas.
‘I have told them that if they won’t work on a joint report, I will do one myself as UN special rapporteur and submit it to the UN. My wish is to write a report of a maximum 10,000 words that focuses on the issue of essential medicines. I wish to look at the right-to-health responsibilities of both states and pharmaceutical companies.
Paul Hunt, who was appointed by the UN in 2002 to advise on health policy, had hoped a number of drugs companies would do the research jointly (EP6, issue 9, p2), but found little interest. Now he plans to go it alone.
Hunt told EP: ‘All but two pharmas rejected my specific idea, which was that for two years they and some human rights experts discuss and agree a joint report, followed by a three-year period in which a body of independent experts use that joint report to assess the practices of some pharmas.
‘I have told them that if they won’t work on a joint report, I will do one myself as UN special rapporteur and submit it to the UN. My wish is to write a report of a maximum 10,000 words that focuses on the issue of essential medicines. I wish to look at the right-to-health responsibilities of both states and pharmaceutical companies.
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