FGEP is currently involved in the following actions and projects:
- Access to Medicines Program (PAM): this program aims to strengthening civil society organizations to improve health public policies and to increase access to essential medicines, especially through overcoming intellectual property (IP) barriers. Under this program FGEP assumed a noticeable role since it has filed oppositions to patent applications, defending the Argentine ‘Joint Resolution’ that approves guidelines for chemical and pharmaceutical patents (Joint Resolution N° 118/2012, 546/2012 y 107/2012) as well as presenting technical recommendations for regulatory and political reforms that promote the issuance of compulsory licenses. In this way, through legal and advocacy actions we aim to use and defend public health protection tools in order to increase access to essential medicines, promoting the usage of TRIPS’ health safeguards.
- Influencing public debate: in an attempt to raise public awareness about the negative impact of IP rights (IPR) in Argentina and Latin-America on prices and access to medicines FGEP spreads press releases and pronouncements in its website, RedLAM’s website www.redlam.org and other social networks. The general goal is to increase mobilization to overcome IP-related barriers in order to improve access to essential medicines and public health policies in Argentina.
- Capacity Building: the goal is to improve capacities of PLHIV and HepC, the most vulnerable populations and Latin-American activists in general. To achieve this, FGEP carries out national and international workshops and coordinates an online course called ‘Towards the Sustaintability of Treatments for HIV/AIDS and Universal Access to HepC Treatments’ in collaboration with RedLAM partner organizations.
- Researches: FGEP carried out joint researches with other partner organizations from Colombia, Brazil, Mexico and Peru on ARVs prices and their linkage to IP rights protection, and on the legislation and implementation of patentability requirements in the patent examination process in Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Colombia and Mexico.
- Follow-up and monitoring of FTA negotiations: In April 2013 FGEP met with the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs where we discussed the agreements that introduced TRIPS-PLUS measures in the FTA between Mercosur and the European Union. In May 2013, FGEP participated in the campaign against provisions of TRIPS-PLUS that have been introduced in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in Lima, Peru with the aim of increasing awareness among negotiators about the negative impacts of these provisions on public health and access to medicines.
- Participation in international assemblies, conferences and seminars: FGEP participates in assemblies and conferences with the aim of promoting international measures that mitigate the impact of IPR on access to medicines and health protection as well as influencing other countries to implement health safeguards, such as the 20th International AIDS conference (Melbourne, November 2014), the 67th UN Health Global Assembly (Geneva, may 2014) or the World Hepatitis Summit (Glasgow, September 2015).