Some people are of the view that, since AIDS-infected countries are financially unstable, they are unable to purchase expensive AIDS drugs which contributes to steady growth of the disease. "More than 40 million people are infected with HIV and more than 3 million have died in 2003, UNAIDS reported last week. WHO estimates more than 5 million HIV patients need anti-retroviral drugs, but fewer than 400,000 currently have access to them." (WHO)
Since only a small percentage of patients have access to high-priced AIDS drugs, it is obvious why the rate of disease expansion hasn't decreased. But there are several political factors affecting the drug prices too. In recent months, both UN AIDS agency and WHO have taken concrete measures to address the issue of high drug prices. Their initiative led to a more effective low-priced AIDS drug that is a combination of three anti-retroviral drugs. These drugs are likely to cost a patient only $270 for one-year course. But for these drugs to reach poor AIDS-infected countries, it is extremely important to suspend drug patents currently held by two major pharmaceutical companies.
These pharmaceutical companies are aggressively attempting to stop production of low priced drugs and their export to African and Central Asian countries. "Pharmaceutical companies holding patents for AIDS drugs have fiercely fought to block generic manufacturers from impinging on their patent rights, often lobbying governments to reject the vastly cheaper alternatives in return for discounted prices." (3)
Even though these companies are well aware of the potential positive impact of low priced drugs on AIDS epidemic, they are still aggressively fighting against violent of their patents. Since they are politically powerful, it is feared that their actions would adversely affect UN and WHO initiative. Apart from the prices of drugs, other political factors include lack of seriousness and sincerity on the part of political regimes of developing countries. Since African, central Asian and most eastern European countries are still developing nations with mostly corrupt political regimes, the situation for AIDS treatment looks grim.
United States is fortunate that it has an educated majority that may not sit still if efforts...
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