Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Wall Street Journal - June 20, 2007
Beckey Bright, beckey.bright@wsj.com
Sixty-one percent of U.S. adults believe poorer countries should be allowed to break companies' patents on HIV/AIDS drugs if doing so would help them treat more of their population, according to a new poll.
When asked specifically about a recent move by Brazil to break the patent on an AIDS drug made by Merck & Co. and provide a generic version instead, 57% said they were in favor of the country's decision, while 20% said they were opposed, the Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive health-care poll found.
Thirty-three percent of those polled said they believe that ignoring companies' patents on HIV/AIDS drugs hinders the development of new drugs, while 40% said they disagree. The poll of 2,246 adults was conducted online June 11-13.
Three-quarters of respondents said programs that teach about and distribute condoms will be most effective in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS. But half said they agree that the best way to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS is through programs that teach abstinence.
Forty percent of Americans think the global HIV/AIDS epidemic has worsened in the last five years, down from 58% who said they felt that way when asked the same question in 2004. In the latest poll, 16% said they felt conditions have gotten better, while 32% said things have stayed about the same.
See full results of the poll:
"Based on what you know or have heard, do you think the global HIV/AIDS epidemic has gotten better, worse or stayed about same compared with five years ago?"
Base: All adults
| 2004 | 2007 | |
| Gotten better | 8% | 16% |
| Gotten worse | 58 | 40 |
| Stayed about the same | 24 | 32 |
| Not sure | 10 | 12 |
***
"U.S. spending for the global prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS focuses on four areas: prevention; treatment; end-of-life care for AIDS patients, and children who have been orphaned by the disease. If you were in charge and you had $100 dollars to distribute between these programs, how would you spend them?"
Base: All adults
| Portion of $100 That Would Spend On(Mean) | ||
| 2004 | 2007 | |
| Prevention | 34.5% | 36.9% |
| Treatment | 23.8 | 23.4 |
| End-of-life care for AIDS patients | 14.3 | 13.6 |
| Children who have been orphaned by the disease | 27.4 | 26.1 |
***
"To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?"
Base: All adults
| Agree strongly/ Somewhat (NET) | Agree Strongly | Agree Somewhat | Disagree strongly/ Somewhat (NET) | Disagree Somewhat | Disagree Strongly | Not Sure | |
| Poorer countries should be allowed to break drug patents for HIV/AIDS drugs if it helps them treat more of their population. | 61% | 29% | 32% | 20% | 12% | 8% | 19% |
| When poorer countries break drug patents for HIV/AIDS drugs they hinder the development of new drugs. | 33 | 8 | 25 | 40 | 26 | 14 | 27 |
| The best way to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS is through programs that teach abstinence. | 51 | 25 | 26 | 42 | 20 | 22 | 7 |
| Abstinence programs hinder, rather than help, efforts to fight HIV/AIDS. | 38 | 14 | 23 | 50 | 28 | 23 | 12 |
| Prevention programs that teach about and distribute condoms will be most effective at preventing the spread of HIV/ AIDS. | 76 | 38 | 38 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 8 |
***
"Brazil recently announced that they will break the patent of an HIV/AIDS drug and purchase a generic version against the wishes of the drug's patent holder. Do you favor or oppose Brazil's decision?"
Base: All adults
| Total | |
| Strongly/Somewhat favor (NET) | 57% |
| Strongly favor | 23 |
| Somewhat favor | 34 |
| Strongly/Somewhat oppose (NET) | 20 |
| Somewhat oppose | 13 |
| Strongly oppose | 7 |
| Not sure | 23 |
Methodology:
Harris Interactive conducted this survey by telephone in the U.S., June 12-13, 2007, among a nationwide cross section of 2,246 adults. Figures for age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, income and region were weighted where necessary to align with population proportions. In theory, with probability samples of this size, one can say with 95% certainty that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 3.5 percentage points of what they would be if the entire U.S. adult population had been polled with complete accuracy.
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