An open letter published Online First and in an upcoming Lancet, to the chief executive (CEO) of pharmaceutical giant Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), outlines the concerns of many aid organisations and NGOs regarding BMS's plans to close a factory which manufactures vital medicine for small babies with HIV.
The letter is written by various civil society representatives on the board of the international agency UNITAID*, including Dr. Mohga M Kamal-Yanni, Senior Health & HIV Policy Advisor of Oxfam GB. It centres on the manufacture of the medicine buffered diadanosine in the 25mg formulation—currently a second-line antiretroviral medicine for children with HIV/AIDS who weigh less than 10 kg. The authors outline their concerns about the closure of the BMS plant in France that manufactures didanosine, with no plans for resumption of production before April, 2011, which is the earliest time that the authors understand BMS could open their planned new plant.
They say: "Closing this factory means that 4000� babies currently enrolled in treatment plans in developing countries through UNITAID could be left without the medicines they need. Didanosine is the last therapeutic option for these babies and without it they could die... there is likely to be a shortage of about 15 000 packs of didanosine 25 mg across all UNITAID beneficiary countries between now and when production is expected to resume in April, 2011."
The authors, in their appeal to BMS CEO Lamberto Andreotti, highlight there is currently no WHO approved alternative to didanosine, and conclude: "We urge you, as the Chief Executive Officer of BMS, a company that prides itself on its high standards of corporate responsibility, to respond urgently to our concerns, outlining the steps you will take to avoid any treatment interruption. We would also like your confirmation that a BMS plant will resume production of this vital medicine in 2011."
Dr. Mohga M Kamal-Yanni. Senior Health & HIV Policy Advisor of Oxfam GB. E) mkamalyanni@Oxfam.org.uk
Kim Nichols, African Services Committee, New York, NY, USA. T) +1 9174153505 E) kimn@africanservices.org
Dr. Esther Tallah, Cameroon Coalition Against Malaria, Yaounde, Cameroon. T) +123 777 807537 E) esthertllh@yahoo.com
Nelson Otwoma, National Empowerment Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya T) +254 725921768 E) otwomatom@yahoo.com
For full Correspondence, see: http://press.thelancet.com/bmsletter.pdf
Note to editors: *UNITAID is an international facility to purchase drugs for use against HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. http://www.unitaid.eu/