Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg) - November 28, 2002
The move is a bid to reduce the numbers of people in poor countries dying from Aids, tuberculosis and malaria.
The ambitious proposals, which have the backing of Prime Minister Tony Blair, aim to carve a clear path through the quagmire of patents and vested interests that have kept the price of life-saving drugs too high for millions of poor people.
But they are likely to fall foul of the pharmaceutical giants and potentially provoke confrontation with the United States government, which habitually fights in their corner.
The plan comes from a high-level working group chaired by Short, whose report will say that drug companies should sell drugs for Aids, tuberculosis and malaria to the poorest countries at reasonable prices.
Representatives of the British companies GlaxoSmithKline and Astra Zeneca and of the World Health Organisation were among those who took part.
Aids, tuberculosis and malaria cause six million deaths a year, costing the afflicted countries $120-billion in lost productivity.
The pharmaceutical industry is being offered promises that tough measures will be taken to ensure that cost-price drugs are not brought back to Europe or the US by profiteers. -- (c) Guardian Newspapers 2002
021128
MG021106
Copyright © 2002 - Daily Mail & Guardian. For information about the content or for permission to redistribute, publish or use for broadcast, contact the publisher.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2002. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2002. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .