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HIV/AIDS aid - at last
John Battersby. 24 October 2003. Daily News. Republished courtesy of Independent Newspapers (Pty) Ltd.
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Four generic drug companies have promised to make drugs available at about half the current price to millions of people in African and Caribbean nations suffering with HIV/AIDS.
Former United States President Bill Clinton, whose foundation has been pressing for cheaper treatments, said the more affordable drugs could help millions get a longer lease on life. "There are five to six million people in the developing world with HIV/AIDS and in urgent need of the drugs," Clinton said at his Harlem, New York, office.
"Only 200 000 to 300 000 are receiving treatment. The rest are simply being left to die. This agreement will allow the delivery of lifesaving medicines to people who desperately need them. It represents a big breakthrough in our efforts to begin treatment programmes in places where, until now, there has been virtually no medicine and therefore no hope."
Joining three Indian firms and South Africa's largest generic drug company, Clinton said antiretroviral drugs would be offered at about R2.65 a day per person (less than R1 000 a year), "almost half the current price of inexpensive commonly used drugs."
Human right groups have lauded the move. "For HIV/AIDS treatment rates in poor countries to go up, prices have to come down. The announcement marks a crucial breakthrough in the HIV/AIDS emergency," said Bono, human rights activist and lead singer of rock band U2.
The William J Clinton Presidential Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative said the plan would get the cheaper drugs to about two million people by 2008. Worldwide, an estimated 42 million people suffer from HIV/AIDS.
Chopping the price of drugs is a huge issue in Africa, where many people survive on as little as R2 000 a year.
Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd., Cipla Ltd. and Matrix Laboratories Ltd., all of India, and South Africa's Aspen Pharmacare Holdings, will manufacture and distribute two of the most commonly used combination drug-therapy cocktails.
Clinton said the foundation sent teams of health and business professionals to work with the companies to identify ways to slash costs and trim profits to a bare minimum.
Clinton said Mozambique, Rwanda and Tanzania and South Africa would start receiving the drugs soon. South Africa is one of the nations hardest hit by HIV/AIDS, with some 4.7 million people, roughly 11% of the population, infected with the virus.
To pay for the drugs, and for improvements in the countries' health systems, Clinton has secured partial funding by lobbying wealthier nations, including Ireland and Canada. Ireland has committed R400 million over five years.
The four African nations have each secured additional funds from other sources, including the World Bank and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Confirmation of the HIV/AIDS breakthrough came from Essop Pahad, Minister in the Presidency, after President Thabo Mbeki's visit to India.
He said Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang had held talks with her Indian counterpart on closer links and co-operation with Indian pharmaceutical companies.
Pahad said it was true that Indian pharmaceuticals produced a whole range of medicines at prices cheaper than anywhere else in the world.
He said Tshabalala-Msimang had fallen ill while in India and had gone to see a doctor who had prescribed anti-biotics. She was astounded when the whole prescription had cost her the equivalent of R20 - far cheaper than anywhere else in the world.
But Pahad cautioned that no drugs could be imported until the Medicines Control Council (MCC) had certified them as safe. |
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