More from our intrepid CEPA Partner, Tapiwa
Tapiwanashe Kujinga
CEPA Partner, PATAM
Day 2 of IAC was a mixture of the good news, bad news and same old speeches, rhetoric and gobbledegook.
For the first time as I can remember at any IAC, a single presentation was oversubscribed with people packing the room to over capacity and spilling out to adjoining venues. The good news of the microbicide developed in South Africa triggered unprecedented applause, you could tell that this is what people want to hear in these conferences and not depressing news on funding cuts. The microbicide reduces the risk of HIV infection by 39%, and up to a maximum of 54% and provides a window of opportunity for further preventive tools.
There was bad news, however. A couple of presentations from Anand Grover and Vuyiseka Dubula highlighted the emerging dangers posed by the so-called free trade agreements between the North and developing countries, as well as the Anti-Counterfeit legislation being proposed in a number of African countries. The effect of the agreements and legislation will be to outlaw generic medicines. Africa and the bulk of the developing world depends on generic drugs, mostly from India, for treatment, and outlawing them will bring us back to the era when ART was for the uber-rich, and not for the masses. If there is anything that African activists ought to rally against, this is it.
On another note, the demonstrations have become a daily feature of the conference, and Eric Goodby, the PEPFAR czar, has borne the brunt. Bill Clinton felt that he deserves a Purple Heart for showing up. The Purple Heart is some decoration for brave military exploits. There is a lot of anger against the decision by the US to flatline PEPFAR and its contribution to the Global Fund. Eric Goosby, however, drew some applause when he announced that US funds can now be used for drug substitution therapy.