§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the remit is of the UK's Working Group on Access to Medicines; who the members of the group are; who it has consulted; and when it expects to report its conclusions to Parliament. [71008]
§ Clare ShortThe High Level Working Group on Access to Medicines has been focusing on improving access to medicines through encouraging appropriate donations, facilitating differential pricing arrangements, and increasing research and development into medicines and vaccines for the three main diseases prevalent in developing countries: HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria. The third and final meeting this Thursday will be focusing on tiered (differential) pricing of drugs. I will send a report and recommendations to the Prime Minister in early September and report to Parliament at the start of the new session. We are looking to take the recommendations forward with some urgency within international fora over the coming year.
The Working Group comprises:
- Department for International Development
- Department of Health
- Department of Trade and Industry
- H M Treasury
- Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry
- AstraZeneca
- GlaxoSmithKline
- World Health Organisation
- World Trade Organisation
- European Commission
- Rockefeller Foundation
- Wellcome Trust
- Uganda High Commission London
- University of Cambridge.
The Working Group has also consulted with Non-Govermental Organisations (NGOs) and the generic-based pharmaceutical industry.