Resources

2008

April 21, 2020

· JUNE – Following TAC’s Competition Commission complaint, MSD grants voluntary licenses for production and use in South Africa of generic versions of ARV medicine Efavirenz, leading to massive price reductions

2007

April 19, 2020

· NOVEMBER – TAC launches Competition Commission complaint against MSD (Merck) for unlawfully refusing to grant licenses to allow for generic production of and affordable access to generic efavirenz.

2003

April 17, 2020

· DECEMBER – Following referral of TAC’s Competition Commission complaint to the Competition Tribunal, Boehringer Ingelheim and GlaxoSmithKline grant licenses for generic manufacture and sale of the ARV medicines Lamivudine and Zidovudine in South Africa and also allowing supply to other sub-Saharan countries.

2002

April 15, 2020

· SEPTEMBER – TAC files a complaint with the Competition Commission concerning the conduct and excessive pricing of essential ARV medicines by multi-national pharmaceutical giants Boehringer Ingelheim and GlaxoSmithKline.

2001

April 11, 2020

· APRIL – The PMA drops its case against the South African government following massive, international outcry. · NOVEMBER – The Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health (“the Doha Declaration”) is signed by members of the WTO, re-affirming countries’ rights to utilise safeguards in the TRIPS agreement to protect health.

1998

April 9, 2020

· FEBRUARY – The Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PMA), representing 37 international pharmaceutical companies, initiates legal action, challenging the introduction of amendments to the Medicines Act.

1997

April 7, 2020

· NOVEMBER – President Nelson Mandela signs amendments to South Africa’s Medicines and Related Substances Act 101 of 1965 (Medicines Act) into law including certain TRIPS flexibilities.

1994

April 3, 2020

· APRIL – The Bill of Rights comes into force in South Africa outlining the new democratic government’s constitutional obligations including the progressive realisation of the right to have access to health care services. · APRIL – As a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), South Africa signs the international agreement on Trade Related […]