Attendees at the prestigious BIO-Windhover 2006 conference were stunned as "activists" interrupted their cocktail party on the first day of a three-day event.
Billed as “the most exclusive partnering event” for senior decision-makers in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry, BIO-Windhover is intended to provide a space for business development executives to negotiate licensing deals.
Representatives from the cream of Big Pharma companies, including Pfizer, Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, and AstraZeneca were in attendance.
The crowd went silent as one of the activists blasted an air horn.
Another activist then addressed the crowd and scolded Big Pharma executives for abusing the patent system to the detriment of the public’s health. Flyers addressing the protestors’ specific demands were then tossed into the air. “Evergreening, Authorized Generics Hurt Patients".
"Evergreening" is a tactic by which Big Pharma companies extend their monopoly by repeatedly patenting the same drug.
“Authorized generics” refers to a practice in which the brand name company pays other companies to not produce cheaper versions of off-patent medicine. The brand name company then produces the “authorized” version of the drug itself.
More here, including a video clip of the hubub.
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