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ACT- UP, a long time
AIDS activist group
based in Paris |
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ACT- UP, a long time
AIDS activist group
based in
Paris, is being sued
by US pharmaceutical
giant,
Abbott, for action
taken whilst
participating in the
International Day of
Action against
Abbott on April
26th 2007.
Thousands of people
around the world
participated in
an ACT UP lead
“netstrike” that saw
Abbott’s website
bombarded with hits
and forced a slowing
of its
server. Abbott is
now taking legal
action in what they
ironically deem a
“denial of service”.
If successful,
ACT UP could be
fined more than
$50,000 in addition
to
legal expenses. This
is being seen by ACT
UP as a
clear attempt by
Abbott to silence
them and deny them
the right of free
speech.
French law
stipulates that it
is forbidden to
limit
access to a website,
unless the defendant
had a
“legitimate motive”.
Holding companies
accountable for
unethical conduct
and highlighting the
denial of
essential medicines
in the name of greed
and profit
can surely be
interpreted as a
legitimate and
honourable motive.
The Thai network of
people living
with HIV/AIDS (TNP+)
and their Thai
alliance stand in
solidarity with ACT
UP and welcome the
opportunity to
debate Abbott’s
shameful policies in
a court of law.
On April 26th,
France was one of
more than 12
countries that
joined in the
International Day of
Action in protest of
Abbott’s withdraw
from
registration in
Thailand of life
saving drugs
including a new heat
stable formulation
of Kaletra, an
anti retroviral drug
used in the
treatment of
HIV/AIDS. Activists
from Thailand and
around the world
called for a global
boycott of Abbott
products in
response to their
unprecedented and
unethical conduct.
Thai activists and
PLHA also called on
the Thai trade
competition
commission to
instigate legal
action
against Abbott in
breach of
competition law
25(3) that
prohibits a dominant
firm from
“suspending,
reducing
or restricting
services,
production,
purchase,
distribution,
deliveries, or
importation without
justifiable
reasons”.
Abbott’s withdrawal
was in retaliation
to the Thai
government’s
announcement that it
would issue 2
compulsory licenses
for ARV, including
the Abbott
produced Kaletra and
one for a heart
medication. These
compulsory licenses
issued by the
Ministry of Public
Health was an
attempt to expand
treatment access to
vital yet expensive
drugs and was in
total accordance
with WTO rules and
regulations.
TNP+ and an alliance
of civil society
groups and
HIV/AIDS activists
fully supports ACT
UP Paris’
actions and believes
that the right to
protest is
fundamental.
Demonstrated dissent
on the International
day of action was
necessary to
highlight Abbott’s
complete lack of
moral code and their
precedence for
profit over lives
and to send a
message to Abbott
that
these kinds of
intimidation tactics
will not be
tolerated.
TNP+ in united with
ACT UP in demanding
that this
petty lawsuit be
dropped and that
Abbott reverse their
decision to withdraw
life saving
medicines from
registration in
Thailand. |
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The Thai Network of
People Living with
HIV/AIDS (TNP+) |
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