Transnational mobilisation on access to medicines: The global movement around the imatinib mesylate case and its roots in the AIDS movement

dc.contributor.authorGrebe, Eduard
dc.contributor.authorLow, Marcus
dc.date.accessioned2016-05-11T09:58:12Z
dc.date.available2016-05-11T09:58:12Z
dc.date.issued2014
dc.date.updated2016-05-10T07:15:43Z
dc.description.abstractStarting in 2006, a patent dispute emerged in India with significant implications for global access to medicine. An application by Novartis for a 'new formulation' patent on the beta crystalline form of the cancer drug imatinib mesylate was rejected. Novartis responded by challenging the legality of provisions designed to protect access to medicines in India's patent legislation. A global activist movement emerged in defence of these aspects of Indian patent legislation mainly because the challenge threatened access to medicine at a systemic level, given India's critical role as a supplier of generic medicines to developing countries. The mobilisation described in this paper exploited existing activist networks and broader 'networks of influence' built during prior campaigns conducted around access to antiretroviral drugs. AIDS activists consequently played a key role in the global mobilisation around the imatinib mesylate dispute, aimed at generating public outrage and political pressure against Novartis's challenge to Indian patent law. A critical 'broker' in these transnational networks is identified as the medical charity M�dicins sans Fronti�res (MSF), and specifically its dedicated medicines access campaign, which linked disparate activist groups together, disseminated information and mobilised AIDS activists across the world in support of the Indian patent flexibilities. In 2013 the Indian Supreme Court upheld the relevant sections of the law, representing a significant victory for the international medicines access movement. This movement illustrates the power of transnational mobilisation to help bring about 'moral consensus' and to deploy influence and social power at the global level sufficient to overcome substantial corporate power. But we also argue that both the emergence of the 'global AIDS movement' and the emergence of a transnational social movement around the imatinib mesylate dispute depended on a set of historical circumstances that are unlikely to persist and that the broader medicines access movement therefore faces significant challenges to its sustainability and future success.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationGrebe, E., & Low, M. (2014). <i>Transnational mobilisation on access to medicines: The global movement around the imatinib mesylate case and its roots in the AIDS movement</i> University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Centre for Social Science Research(CSSR). Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/19591en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationGrebe, Eduard, and Marcus Low <i>Transnational mobilisation on access to medicines: The global movement around the imatinib mesylate case and its roots in the AIDS movement.</i> University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Centre for Social Science Research(CSSR), 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/19591en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationGrebe, E., & Low, M. (2014). Transnational mobilisation on access to medicines: The global movement around the imatinib mesylate case and its roots in the AIDS movement. Available at SSRN 2546392.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Working Paper AU - Grebe, Eduard AU - Low, Marcus AB - Starting in 2006, a patent dispute emerged in India with significant implications for global access to medicine. An application by Novartis for a 'new formulation' patent on the beta crystalline form of the cancer drug imatinib mesylate was rejected. Novartis responded by challenging the legality of provisions designed to protect access to medicines in India's patent legislation. A global activist movement emerged in defence of these aspects of Indian patent legislation mainly because the challenge threatened access to medicine at a systemic level, given India's critical role as a supplier of generic medicines to developing countries. The mobilisation described in this paper exploited existing activist networks and broader 'networks of influence' built during prior campaigns conducted around access to antiretroviral drugs. AIDS activists consequently played a key role in the global mobilisation around the imatinib mesylate dispute, aimed at generating public outrage and political pressure against Novartis's challenge to Indian patent law. A critical 'broker' in these transnational networks is identified as the medical charity M�dicins sans Fronti�res (MSF), and specifically its dedicated medicines access campaign, which linked disparate activist groups together, disseminated information and mobilised AIDS activists across the world in support of the Indian patent flexibilities. In 2013 the Indian Supreme Court upheld the relevant sections of the law, representing a significant victory for the international medicines access movement. This movement illustrates the power of transnational mobilisation to help bring about 'moral consensus' and to deploy influence and social power at the global level sufficient to overcome substantial corporate power. But we also argue that both the emergence of the 'global AIDS movement' and the emergence of a transnational social movement around the imatinib mesylate dispute depended on a set of historical circumstances that are unlikely to persist and that the broader medicines access movement therefore faces significant challenges to its sustainability and future success. DA - 2014 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2014 T1 - Transnational mobilisation on access to medicines: The global movement around the imatinib mesylate case and its roots in the AIDS movement TI - Transnational mobilisation on access to medicines: The global movement around the imatinib mesylate case and its roots in the AIDS movement UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/19591 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/19591
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationGrebe E, Low M. Transnational mobilisation on access to medicines: The global movement around the imatinib mesylate case and its roots in the AIDS movement. 2014 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/19591en_ZA
dc.languageengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentCentre for Social Science Research(CSSR)en_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanitiesen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.rightsCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)*
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/en_ZA
dc.titleTransnational mobilisation on access to medicines: The global movement around the imatinib mesylate case and its roots in the AIDS movementen_ZA
dc.typeWorking Paperen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceResearch paperen_ZA
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