Johannesburg, 21 July – The Fix the Patent Laws campaign calls on the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition (dtic) to urgently release the Patent Bill for public comment. Despite repeated promises the long-awaited Bill – that could pave the way for a new era in access to medicines in South Africa – remains unpublished. “The dtic […]
READ MOREMedia Statement: Thousands are dying and suffering because they can’t access patented medicines. The time to Fix South Africa’s Patent Laws is now! 8 November 2021 — Activists from the Fix The Patent Laws Campaign will march to the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) tomorrow 9 November 2021 to urge the government to […]
READ MOREMEDIA ADVISORY: ACTIVISTS TO MARCH TO DEPARTMENT OF TRADE, INDUSTRY AND COMPETITION TO #FIXPATENTLAW ON 9 NOV 2021 People in South Africa are needlessly suffering and dying because many patented medicines are unaffordable. The time to Fix South Africa’s Patent Laws is now! 5 November 2021 — Activists from the Fix The Patent Laws Campaign […]
READ MOREThe Fix the Patent Laws campaign wrote to Minister Ebrahim Patel on 5 October 2020 requesting an update on the status of the draft legislation implementing the Intellectual Property Policy. Dear Minister Patel,Re: Status of the draft legislation implementing the Intellectual Property Policy The above refers. Fix the Patent Laws (FTPL) is a coalition of […]
READ MORE28 May 2021 Programme Director,Your Excellency, President Emmanuel Macron,Minister of Health of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr Jens Spahn,Ministers,Ambassador of France, Mr Aurélien Lechevallier,Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr Martin Schäfer, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Pretoria, Professor Tawana Kupe,Director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr John Nkengasong, Chair of […]
READ MOREThe Fix the Patent Laws campaign welcomes the announcement that the Biden-Harris Administration supports the temporary waiver of intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines. “This decision is as result of massive global solidarity and mobilisation by activists around the world, who have been fighting for equitable access for COVID-19 vaccines for all. While we commend […]
READ MORE23 April, Johannesburg — In 2018, Cabinet adopted the South African Policy on Intellectual Property, Phase 1. It heralded a new era in medicine access. Yet three years later and nothing has changed in the lives of people in South Africa, who right now continue to need medicines that remain unaffordable and out of reach. “The […]
READ MOREThe Fix the Patent Laws Campaign (FTPL) represented by the Cancer Alliance, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the People’s Health Movement, SECTION27 and the Treatment Action Campaign, has gathered here today to urge the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition to urgently finalise draft amendments to the Patents Act to ensure that the government has the […]
READ MOREDTIC must fix the patent laws to accelerate access to medicines for all COVID-19 has spurred a global health crisis that disproportionately affects working-class and poor people. Patents, and other intellectual property instruments, can act as obstacles to accessing lifesaving medicines and other technology because they protect manufacturers from competition, keep prices of medicines high, […]
READ MOREJohannesburg: 5 February 2021 The supply of safe and effective vaccines for all is being artificially rationed because of the protection of exclusive rights and monopolies of pharmaceutical corporations, the People’s Vaccine Alliance said today. The alliance warned that the three biggest vaccine companies in the world are largely sitting on the sidelines – they […]
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