NAIROBI, Monday, 08 March 2010

Kenya’s Anti-Counterfeit Act is being challenged on the basis that it violates the right to health. Three petitioners who are people living with HIV, argue that the law confuses generic and counterfeit medicine. This could cause a health crisis as generics constitute 90 percent of medicines used in Kenya.

A mention was heard today at the Kenya’s Constitutional Court and hearing date set for March 18, 2010. There were about 80 activists –mostly people living with HIV/Aids -present in the High Court hallways in t-shirts with a message saying “fight counterfeits, not generics”.

Photo caption: Activists who attended the mention at the High Court in Nairobi. They wore T-shirts with messages "fight counterfeits, not generic drugs" on the front and "life, health, medicines, human rights" (on the back). 

Monday, 04 March 2010 

It was a big win for more than 1.4 million people living with HIV and Aids (PLWHAs) in Kenya after the High Court ruled on Thursday March 4, 2010 that the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (KEMSA) could proceed with a tender for the supply of antiretroviral medicines (ARVs).

Tuesday January 12, 2010

A global pill price survey has revealed that the price of a commonly used antibiotic ‘ciprofloxacin’ is beyond the reach of many people in Africa because of its high cost. Health Action International (HAI) conducted the spot check on 30 November 2009 to ascertain the full price which a patient would pay for ciprofloxacin, in the nearest private retail pharmacy.

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NAIROBI, December 21, 2009 (IPS) - Kenya’s new Anti-Counterfeit Act will be challenged on Mar 8 next year in the country’s Constitutional Court on the basis that it violates the right to health. The petitioners, three people living with HIV, argue that the law confuses generic and fake medicine. This could cause a health crisis as generics constitute 90 percent of medicines used in Kenya.

The three petitioners want the Constitutional Court to declare the law, which was enacted in the middle of this year, unconstitutional on the grounds that it will deny them access to affordable life-saving generic medicines and therefore rob them off their right to life, says Peter Munyi, an intellectual property rights lawyer working with Health Action International (HAI) Africa.

HAI Africa is part of a global network working to increase access to life-saving medicines.