Deal Struck to Provide Cheaper Generic AIDS Drugs to Poorer Nations

The fight against AIDS, a leading killer of people around the world but particularly in poorer nations of Africa, will get a boost from a new arrangement to provide less expensive generic drugs to victims in developing countries.

The deal struck between the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative and Unitaid, a global organization that purchases drugs, announced today that they have reached deals to offer life-saving drugs in generic forms at reduced costs.

In all, bargains on generic AIDS drugs have been reached with 41 drug companies at an average savings of 16 percent compared to 2008 prices, officials said.

Under the arrangements, the cost of a second-line regimen of AIDS drugs, given when patients have undergone initial treatment and developed a resistance to those drugs, would drop from $700 to about $590 for a one-year supply. The cost of a once-a-day pill first-line treatment based on the AIDS drug tenofovir would cost $210 for the year, a 30-percent drop from 2008, officials said.

AIDS: Still an Epidemic Worlwide

As many as 33 million people around the world are infected with the AIDS virus, an incurable condition that has claimed the lives of 25 million people since 1981. There also is no cure for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS, but some drug combinations have been shown to slow the spread of the disease and limit damage to the body’s the immune system.

In many countries, the high cost of brand name pharmaceutical drugs is an obstacle for treating as many people as possible. In Africa, where nearly 12 million children have been orphaned by parents dying of AIDS, the astronomical costs of treatment prevent millions from receiving any treatment for HIV and AIDS.

Positive Strides Toward Stopping AIDS

This new arrangement is a positive step in the right direction toward achieving a more effective and comprehensive campaign to stop the spread of AIDS worldwide. By providing less expensive, generic versions of AIDS drugs to those most in need but who are unable to afford the treatments themselves, more victims will receive treatment to ease their suffering.

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