Global Protests against EU-India Free Trade Agreement
This video shows 3000 that joined MSF in New Delhi in protesting against the EU-India Free Trade Agreement.
In the past decade India has earned the moniker ‘pharmacy of the developing world’, through the manufacture of cheap generic drugs which have gone to save countless millions of people who would otherwise be unable to afford life-saving medicines. In particular Anti-Retroviral Therapy for HIV has come down from $10 000 per year in 2000, to $70 per year today because of Indian generics. It is estimated that roughly two and a half million people rely on Indian manufactured generics for their HIV therapies. All this could come to an end with a proposed free trade agreement being negotiated between India and the European Union. Certain hidden clauses in the agreement could prevent the registration of Indian drugs.
For several months now activists around the world have joined global health organizations like Oxfam, MSF and the WHO in expressing their deep concern about the impact of the agreement on people living with HIV around the world.
It is estimated that Zimbabwe has 2 million people who are living with HIV, with 300 000 people on the free national Anti-Retroviral Programme.
Find out more and join the global protest here.