The Universities Allied for Essential Medecines is a student-led movement that has recently obtained wide support (including from Nobel laureates) for a declaration that supports the availability of medicines that results from academic research, for those that need them in the developing world.

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UAEM’s launch also kicks off a national signature drive. The Philadelphia Consensus Statement proposes changes in university policies that would ensure the fruits of universities reach those in the developing world. These proposals have already been endorsed by eighty-four luminaries in science, medicine, law, and health policy.

“The Philadelphia Consensus Statement represents a watershed moment for universities to collectively do the right thing when it comes to making their innovations available to those who need it most,” said Justice Edwin Cameron, who serves on the South African Supreme Court of Appeal.

“For too long, life-saving medical tools that are the fruits of university-led discovery have been denied to poor people in poor countries. If our universities really are to be institutions for the public good, this must change,” said Dr. Paul Farmer, co-founder of the humanitarian organization Partners in Health and Presley Professor of Medical Anthropology at Harvard University.

• For the text of the consensus statement, a complete list of initial signatories, and to sign on, visit the Philadelphia Consensus Statement website.

 

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