Voice of America - April 5, 2004
Joe De Capua
Washington

Click to download/open (MP3) Report
Click to download/open (MP3) Interview

A new agreement was announced today (Tuesday) that’s expected to help developing countries buy quality AIDS drugs at low prices. The joint announcement was made by the World Bank, UNICEF, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the Clinton Foundation.

The Clinton Foundation – founded by former President Clinton - negotiated the lower prices with five manufacturers of anti-retroviral drugs or ARV’s. Four of the companies are in India, the other in South Africa. The foundation says prices for the ARV’s could be as much as 50 percent lower than currently available.

Under the agreement, developing countries would be required to meet certain conditions. They must provide “guarantees of payment,” to make long-term offers of purchase and to “ensure the security of drug distribution.” The agreement calls on UNICEF, the World Bank and the Global Fund to assist developing countries in meeting these requirements.

The Clinton Foundation says the drugs “include individual formulations and two and three drug fixed dose combinations, or FDC’s.” FDC’s combine two or three medicines in a single pill, making it easier for patients to follow through with their drug treatment.

These drugs have been approved under the World Health organization’s Pre-Qualification Project. The Global Fund, for example, uses it as a standard for buying drugs.

The Bush Administration, however, recently said it was concerned about only using the Pre-Qualification standard. The Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator said it wanted a more detailed analysis of any generic AIDS drugs that might be sold to ensure they are both safe and effective. It rejected accusations that it opposed the sale of generics or that it favored big pharmaceutical companies.

In a statement, Mr. Clinton said, “the collective effort will soon help many hundreds of thousand of people – and eventually millions – live longer, healthier lives.”

You can click the above links to download or listen to this report - or - you can download or listen to an interview with Clinton Foundation Executive Vice-President Lynn Margherio, who explains the purchasing process.

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