Avian bird flu and access to medicines
Australia's readiness to deal with a bird flu epidemic became an item for media focus in late October 2005. CGKD's Professor Peter Drahos and Dr Buddhima Lokuge received extensive coverage for their call to authorise the use of generic drugs to cover expected shortfalls in anti-virals used to combat the bird flu.
'Patent laws delaying bird flu drugs', Sunday Tasmanian, 30 October
'Flu outbreak bans: Abbott' Geelong Advertiser, 27 October
'Abbott talks of travel ban if bird flu hits' Examiner, 27 October
'APEC hopes to plug gaps in preparation for epidemics' Canberra Times, 27 October
'Ignore antiviral patents, say experts' Australian Financial Review, 27 October
'Travel, public gatherings could be banned in bird flu outbreak: Abbott' Illawarra Mercury, 27 October
'Rationing of bird flu drugs' Daily Telegraph, 26 October
'Bird flu pandemic "very likely"' Age, 26 October
'Assuring supply of flu drugs must be priority' Sydney Morning Herald, 26 October
'Authorise generic avian flu drugs' The Australian National University Media Release, 25 October
'Avian flu pandemic: Australia needs generic drugs for stockpile' Australian Medical Association Media Release, 25 October
Drugs and US-Australia Free Trade Agreement
Under the US-Australia Free Trade Agreement, manufacturers of generic drugs would face increased difficulties, argued CGKD's Professor Peter Drahos, Dr Buddhima Lokuge and Dr Tom Faunce in 2004.
'Drug pricing endangers US-Australia pact' by E Becker & R Pear, New York Times, 17 November
'Generic drugs put at risk' by L Allen, Australian Financial Review, 4 August
Drahos, P, Henry, D & Lokuge, B (2004) interviewed/cited in 'A bitter pill' Four Corners: Australian Broadcasting Commission Television, Canberra, 2 August [transcript]
'Best to understand the dangers before swallowing this pill' Sydney Morning Herald, 19 July
'Trade deal with US could bring with it a bitter pill' Canberra Times, 21 January
'Safeguards to ensure protection of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme from provisions in the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement' Open Letter by Australian Health and Law experts to the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition, September 2004. Cited in SCRIP- World Pharmaceutical News S00859028, 29 September 2004
Lokuge, B, Faunce, TA & Denniss, R (2003) [research cited in] 'The global significance of a row over drug prices in Australia', Economist, 21 August, 372(8389): 59
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