The industry has been looking at the pharmaceutical campaign since 1981 Finger with the aim of creating more equitable access to effective drugs worldwide.
We don't think in months or years. We think in terms of five or ten years, ”says Dr. med. Christiane Fischer when asked about the success of the BUKO Pharma campaign. “We need staying power,” emphasizes the doctor, who, with team of seven permanent employees from the Bielefelder Welthaus, takes on the big names in the pharmaceutical industry (see also “3 questions for ...”). What began with an investigation into the business practices of German pharmaceutical companies in the so-called Third World has expanded considerably.
Die BUKO-Pharma-Campaign is committed to protecting patients from irrational drugs, for fair access to essential drugs, for independent drug information, comprehensive consumer protection in North and South as well as research that focuses on needs and not on profit orient. With these words, Jörg Schaaber, who is one of the managing directors of the Pharma Campaign alongside Christiane Fischer and Claudia Jenkes, opened the symposium “Pharmatopia - the world in 30 years”, which took place on the 16th and 17th September took place.
In 1981 development action groups founded the campaign to investigate German drug exports to the poor countries of the south. The topic is still focal point in the work of the pharmaceutical campaign. Just recently, the Bielefeld company published study that analyzed the drug range of the Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim and Baxter groups in India (www.bukopharma.de). The three companies, the report concluded, offered far fewer drugs in India than in Germany and their price policy was aimed at the Indian middle and upper classes. Above all, Bayer and Boehringer Ingelheim sell many expensive products with which patients are poorly served. No drugs from the companies examined are used in the state health system. Important pharmaceuticals are therefore not available to poor patients.
"We want to carry out total of three such studies," said BUKO Pharma Managing Director Fischer at the presentation of the results in Bielefeld.
The industry has been looking at the pharmaceutical campaign since 1981 Finger with the aim of creating more equitable access to effective drugs worldwide.
We don't think in months or years. We think in terms of five or ten years, ”says Dr. med. Christiane Fischer when asked about the success of the BUKO Pharma campaign. “We need staying power,” emphasizes the doctor, who, with team of seven permanent employees from the Bielefelder Welthaus, takes on the big names in the pharmaceutical industry (see also “3 questions for ...”). What began with an investigation into the business practices of German pharmaceutical companies in the so-called Third World has expanded considerably.
Die BUKO-Pharma-Campaign is committed to protecting patients from irrational drugs, for fair access to essential drugs, for independent drug information, comprehensive consumer protection in North and South as well as research that focuses on needs and not on profit orient. With these words, Jörg Schaaber, who is one of the managing directors of the Pharma Campaign alongside Christiane Fischer and Claudia Jenkes, opened the symposium “Pharmatopia - the world in 30 years”, which took place on the 16th and 17th September took place.
In 1981 development action groups founded the campaign to investigate German drug exports to the poor countries of the south. The topic is still focal point in the work of the pharmaceutical campaign. Just recently, the Bielefeld company published study that analyzed the drug range of the Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim and Baxter groups in India (www.bukopharma.de). The three companies, the report concluded, offered far fewer drugs in India than in Germany and their price policy was aimed at the Indian middle and upper classes. Above all, Bayer and Boehringer Ingelheim sell many expensive products with which patients are poorly served. No drugs from the companies examined are used in the state health system. Important pharmaceuticals are therefore not available to poor patients.
"We want to carry out total of three such studies," said BUKO Pharma Managing Director Fischer at the presentation of the results in Bielefeld.India was chosen because the country played decisive role in Asia. For years, the Indian generic industry with its inexpensive drugs has been considered the pharmacy of the poor countries of the south. "Brazil plays similar role in Latin America," continued Fischer. The first part of the analysis has already been completed there. According to Fischer, third study will be carried out in Africa. "We have problems with access to important medicines, we have large number of irrational medicines on the markets, and we have problems with research," said the controversial doctor, summarizing the study results. "To remedy this, we not only have to change patent law, but also realign pharmaceutical research."
If you believe the experts, they are currently not giving good picture. Prof. Dr. med. Peter Schönhöfer, co-editor of the pharmaceutical industry magazine “arznei-telegramm”, traced the development. The 50s to 80s were characterized by wealth of innovations that actually changed therapy, said the doctor and pharmacologist. In contrast, of the 553 new substances that have come onto the market in Germany in the past 20 years, only eight have been real innovations. 50 substances were step innovations that brought at least small step forward. The rest came onto the market without any additional benefit.
In Schönhöfer's view, “neoliberal profit-making” has destroyed the pharmaceutical industry's ability to innovate. At the top of the companies are no longer scientists, but financial managers and lawyers, whose employment contracts are limited to four years. "For many research projects, however, you need up to twelve years before they are successful," Schönhöfer pointed out. It was also cardinal error that most companies had abolished their own basic research. "In the 1980s it was common for companies to invest around 40 percent of their income in research and development," says Schönhöfer. “Today it is less than ten percent. In return, 40 percent goes into marketing. ”
What has to change? Pharmaceutical critic Schönhöfer calls for changed research concepts. “We need institutions that can carry out long-term research.” The aim must be to develop substances that stop disease processes, and not just cure symptoms. “But we continue to develop in this way instead of looking at what we can basically do.”
The quality of many clinical studies and the lack of transparency in the publication of study data were criticized by Dr. med. Lili Grell.India was chosen because the country played decisive role in Asia. For years, the Indian generic industry with its inexpensive drugs has been considered the pharmacy of the poor countries of the south. "Brazil plays similar role in Latin America," continued Fischer. The first part of the analysis has already been completed there. According to Fischer, third study will be carried out in Africa. "We have problems with access to important medicines, we have large number of irrational medicines on the markets, and we have problems with research," said the controversial doctor, summarizing the study results. "To remedy this, we not only have to change patent law, but also realign pharmaceutical research."
If you believe the experts, they are currently not giving good picture. Prof. Dr. med. Peter Schönhöfer, co-editor of the pharmaceutical industry magazine “arznei-telegramm”, traced the development. The 50s to 80s were characterized by wealth of innovations that actually changed therapy, said the doctor and pharmacologist. In contrast, of the 553 new substances that have come onto the market in Germany in the past 20 years, only eight have been real innovations. 50 substances were step innovations that brought at least small step forward. The rest came onto the market without any additional benefit.
In Schönhöfer's view, “neoliberal profit-making” has destroyed the pharmaceutical industry's ability to innovate. At the top of the companies are no longer scientists, but financial managers and lawyers, whose employment contracts are limited to four years. "For many research projects, however, you need up to twelve years before they are successful," Schönhöfer pointed out. It was also cardinal error that most companies had abolished their own basic research. "In the 1980s it was common for companies to invest around 40 percent of their income in research and development," says Schönhöfer. “Today it is less than ten percent. In return, 40 percent goes into marketing. ”
What has to change? Pharmaceutical critic Schönhöfer calls for changed research concepts. “We need institutions that can carry out long-term research.” The aim must be to develop substances that stop disease processes, and not just cure symptoms. “But we continue to develop in this way instead of looking at what we can basically do.”
The quality of many clinical studies and the lack of transparency in the publication of study data were criticized by Dr. med. Lili Grell."Some of the research no longer deserves this name," said the head of the drug supply department of the medical service of the health insurance companies. She also criticized the fact that the business interests of the pharmaceutical industry are often valued higher than the public's rights to information. For example, the German approval authorities - the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices and the Paul Ehrlich Institute - do not provide any information about rejected applications for approval.
"The aim of the industry is to meet the legal requirements in order to then earn as much money as possible," said Dr. med. Thomas Kaiser, Head of Drug Evaluation at the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Healthcare. If other requirements were formulated for the approval of drug, the pharmaceutical industry would also provide other studies. According to Kaiser, there is no point in shifting research from the private to the public sector. Because the German universities are far too unprofessional to conduct high-quality studies. Kaiser sees the problem more fundamentally: “Scientific work has no meaning in medical studies. It also does not enable critical thinking. That would have to be changed. "
The German MEP Peter Liese (CDU) signaled that politicians also recognize the need for action. He called for public research funds to be invested more in areas in which no private pharmaceutical research took place. Liese referred to the 7th Research Framework Program, for which the European Union provided around 54 billion euros from 2007 to 2013.
Heike Korzilius
3 questions. . .
Christiane Fischer, Managing Director of the BUKO Pharma Campaign
The BUKO Pharma Campaign was founded by network of non-governmental development organizations. Has your work changed in the last 30 years?
Fischer: Definitely. Our work has become more professional, and in the last ten years the focus has shifted to “access to medicines”, “access to research” and “patents”.
When you look back, what was your greatest success?
Fischer: A huge success was and is that we have managed to raise public awareness to wake up that patent law is not law of God, but that it can be changed. And that safeguard clauses, such as the possibility for states to issue compulsory licenses or to define what is considered an innovation in their country, can ensure that poor people have access to important medicines. The pharmaceutical companies can no longer ignore this either."Some of the research no longer deserves this name," said the head of the drug supply department of the medical service of the health insurance companies. She also criticized the fact that the business interests of the pharmaceutical industry are often valued higher than the public's rights to information. For example, the German approval authorities - the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices and the Paul Ehrlich Institute - do not provide any information about rejected applications for approval.
"The aim of the industry is to meet the legal requirements in order to then earn as much money as possible," said Dr. med. Thomas Kaiser, Head of Drug Evaluation at the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Healthcare. If other requirements were formulated for the approval of drug, the pharmaceutical industry would also provide other studies. According to Kaiser, there is no point in shifting research from the private to the public sector. Because the German universities are far too unprofessional to conduct high-quality studies. Kaiser sees the problem more fundamentally: “Scientific work has no meaning in medical studies. It also does not enable critical thinking. That would have to be changed. "
The German MEP Peter Liese (CDU) signaled that politicians also recognize the need for action. He called for public research funds to be invested more in areas in which no private pharmaceutical research took place. Liese referred to the 7th Research Framework Program, for which the European Union provided around 54 billion euros from 2007 to 2013.
Heike Korzilius
3 questions. . .
Christiane Fischer, Managing Director of the BUKO Pharma Campaign
The BUKO Pharma Campaign was founded by network of non-governmental development organizations. Has your work changed in the last 30 years?
Fischer: Definitely. Our work has become more professional, and in the last ten years the focus has shifted to “access to medicines”, “access to research” and “patents”.
When you look back, what was your greatest success?
Fischer: A huge success was and is that we have managed to raise public awareness to wake up that patent law is not law of God, but that it can be changed. And that safeguard clauses, such as the possibility for states to issue compulsory licenses or to define what is considered an innovation in their country, can ensure that poor people have access to important medicines. The pharmaceutical companies can no longer ignore this either.
Another huge success was that we prevented the advertising of prescription drugs from being legalized in Europe.
The title of the anniversary event is "Pharmatopia - the world in 30 years" . What's next on your agenda?
Fischer: We have to go back to drug research that is demand-oriented and not the market. If I am oriented towards the market, then I develop drugs that bring in as much money as possible. But if I am oriented towards the needs, then I develop drugs that cure people: new tuberculosis drugs, new sleeping sickness drugs, new drugs also for diseases that are neglected here. A rethink in research is the next step. It won't happen in year, more like ten. We always need staying power.
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