Hepatitis B carriers and PLWHA in China hung a banner with their signatures on it to appeal for breaking the monopoly of Lamivudine(3TC) 

BEIJING YIRENPING CENTER     April 29, 2008 

“We strongly demand the government take actions to break the monopoly of Lamivudine(3TC)”, this is the content of the banner carried by Hepatitis B carriers and PLWHA in China on April 20, 2008. On the same day, they took part in a meeting of NGOs in Jinan, and signed their own names on the banner, through which they expressed their anger toward the monopoly of antiviral drugs by foreign drug companies and their expectation toward the government to take reasonable actions to change this frustrating situation.  

Lamivudine is the main drug used in the treatment of AIDS, which is also the principal antiviral drug in the treatment of Hepatitis B. Lamivudine is produced by GSK of the UK, and the GSK has a patent protection of production method of Lamivudine in China. The unreasonable protection toward Lamivudine and the failure of taking localization measures by the government has caused a great loss. From the latter half year of 2007, many PLWHA endured a shortage of Lamivudine supply in some provinces, which had seriously threatened their lives and resulted in a major crisis in public health area.

 There are 120 million people live with Hepatitis B virus in China. The high cost of Lamivudine in China has also laid rather heavy burden on the Hepatitis B carriers and caused great loss of the country’s wealth. A large number of HBV carriers can not afford such high cost and have no alternative but to give up effective treatment. As a result, many people’s living status has worsened. Actually, it has already caused tremendous humanitarianism disaster in China. 

 http://1832.img.pp.sohu.com.cn/images/blog/2008/5/10/11/20/11a752e4778.jpgB carriers and PLWHA in China hung a" />In face of tremendous humanitarianism disaster and serious crisis in public health area, the Hepatitis community and AIDS community in China respond positively. They published an appeal letter currently, pressing the government to issue compulsory license for Lamivudine, and they are collecting signatures to this letter in the Hepatitis community and AIDS community, by which action they express their support of the appeal letter.