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.
