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Q&A: George Monbiot


George Monbiot says drugs in S. Africa are too expensive

CNN's Charlotte Smith spoke to British author and journalist George Monbiot, who has written widely about the power of corporations, most recently in his latest book, "Captive State."

Q: The World Trade Organisation has rules governing the manufacture and importing and exporting of generic drugs. Are they not enough? Why has it come to a court case in South Africa?

Monbiot: The pharmaceutical companies insist they have an absolute right to make as much money from their drugs as they can, but it seems to me that that right is a far lesser right than the right of ordinary people not to die from diseases like AIDS. And when it comes to defending the rights of big corporations to make money versus the rights of human beings to live their lives then it seems very clear to me that the human rights must come first.

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Q: The big drug companies, or many of the big drug companies, have offered to make their drugs at vastly reduced prices. Why is that not good enough?

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Monbiot: Well, the drug companies have reduced their prices -- in some cases by quite a significant margin -- but they're are still far too expensive for the average South African farmer or shanty dweller whose weekly income is just a few pounds, if that. There is absolutely no way they can afford these drugs. Now, these same drugs can be manufactured for a few pence, for a tiny, tiny fraction of what they are sold at -- even at the greatly reduced prices which the pharmaceutical companies are offering. So its not a question of this being possible, it's simply a question of them wanting to hold on to profits, which have been absolutely enormous over the last few years.

Q: We know the cost of producing new drugs is enormous. What incentive is there for companies to invest in this, if they are not going to get the full return?

Monbiot: Of course there need to be incentives, but it seems to me that there has got to be a balance between those incentives and the need of human beings. And while we in the West can afford to pay for many of these drugs, and while the NHS, for instance, here in Britain, can afford to pay for many of these drugs, it's very clear that people in South Africa can't afford it.

Q: There has been criticism of, for example, the government in South Africa because it is not willing to make widely available a very cheap drug which prevents transmission of HIV from pregnant women to their babies. Surely individual governments have work to do to improve their health programs.

Monbiot: There's no question that all governments have responsibilities to protect the health of their citizens, and it's not just a matter for international actions, it's also a matter for national action. And there is no question too that some governments spend far too much on weapons and not nearly enough on health. For example, Britain is one of those governments. But taking all that into account, it is very clear that the South African government is poor. It doesn't have a great deal of money at its disposal. Were it to provide enough money to buy these very expensive drugs for whoever needs them, it would have to cut back in other areas.