by Jon Sears

A rally on Queen's University campus on April 5 started outside the Stauffer Library and ended with 30 people in the principal's office.

The rally was organized by the Queen's Coalition Against Corporate Globalization, Queen's Medical Outreach, and Queen's Projects in International Development. At the heart of the protest was Queen's acceptance of a $1 million contribution for its new Clinical Education Center (CEC) from pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (formed when Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham merged in 2000). The problem is ethical.

"By donating funds to Queen's, GlaxoSmithKline claims it is committed to health issues, but on the other hand it is suing the South African government over health policy," says rallier Alex Loftus.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is among almost 40 drug companies suing the South African government, which wants to make AIDS drugs more accessible. How? By using generic alternatives to the expensive medications sold by corporations.

According to a CBC report from Pretoria, "The companies are challenging the Medicines Act, which allows the minister of health to override patent rights to provide cheaper medicines."

In the meantime, people are dying. Although South Africa has been criticized in the past for failing to act decisively against HIV-AIDS, this time AIDS activists from trade unions and non-government organizations are on the government's side. GSK stresses its commitment to "preferential prices" on antiretroviral medicines in Africa. It cites its membership in the United Nations AIDS Accelerating Access Initiative (AAI), a group that works with African national governments and other multi-national pharmaceutical companies.

The benefits of GSK's "preferential pricing," however, are undermined by its attempts to limit the drug-purchasing options available to the South African government. The discount initiatives also tend to be in areas of Africa where the AAI private partners cannot expect to make money.

Depending on the drug regimen, the cost of therapy under the AAI will be cut to between $700 (U.S.) and $1,300 (U.S.) per year, per patient. Given that the average real Gross Domestic Product per capita in Mali is about $271 (U.S.), the generous 90 per cent discount is still too expensive for locals to afford privately and still places a great burden on impoverished national governments.

The average real Gross Domestic Product per capita in South Africa, however, ($2,336 US) increases the possibility of GSK making money if it can, with the other suing drug companies, limit the South African government's options in purchasing antiretroviral medicines. With this in mind, the Queen's protestors questioned Principal Leggett for over an hour.

Says Loftus: "We effectively demonstrated an understanding of the complex issues, and also showed our eagerness to be involved in the processes by which Queen's partnerships with multi-national corporations are evaluated."

"GSK cannot credibly represent itself as a good corporate citizen until it addresses its two-faced business ethics," Loftus adds. "Queen's cannot accept these contributions and endorse GSK's practices."

He also wonders, "How does suing the South African government, itself dedicated to breaking the multi-national pharmaceuticals' attempts at monopoly, constitute a commitment to working in developing countries in the struggle against HIV/AIDS?"

Despite this, Queen's opening of the Glaxo Wellcome Clinical Education Centre was uncritical.

Heralded by the university as "another milestone in the Campaign for Queen's," the facility is apparently "unprecedented in Canada for inter-professional learning opportunities and the use of contemporary educational technology to help students better diagnose and communicate with patients."

Protest organizers have demanded that Queen's University remove Glaxo's name from the Clinical Education Center; that Queen's cut all ties with the corporation; and that Queen's establish an ethics board that includes student input to oversee all corporate sponsorship. Deemed as a success overall, April's rally presented yet another example of students' awareness of and willingness to act regarding issues of global concern.

Breaking news: In recent days, possibly in partial response to international pressure, the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers' Association, which represents 39 leading drug companies, including GlaxoSmithKline, dropped their case against the South African government, reports Oxfam UK.

With files from http://corp.gsk.com/; www.cbc.ca; www.queensu.ca; http://www.undp.org; http://www.globeandmail.com/