In several Southern African countries, 20 to 25% of young adults are already infected with HIV/AIDS.
It is estimated that there are more than 22 million infected people in Sub-Saharan Africa. There are 6,7 million infected people in South and Southern Asia, and 1,4 million in Latin America.
These people will die without access to essential medicines. But they live in countries which cannot afford the drugs which they need.
The ability of any country to treat HIV/AIDS patients is related to the level of that country's income (measured by Gross Domestic Product - GDP) and the rate of infection.
These countries can afford to pay the very high prices demanded by the drug companies for medicines needed to treat HIV/AIDS.
In the face of this human tragedy, the US government is fighting a global battle to keep drug prices high. The US government has organised a team that is largely directed by the global pharmaceutical industry to monitor and influence legislation in virtually every country in the world. The US government insists that it has the right to review and comment on regulations or legislation involving the pharmaceutical industry by any foreign government. As part of this campaign, it actively opposes the use of compulsory licensing and parallel imports. These are both important ways in which countries can obtain less expensive drugs.
| Compulsory licensing is when a government allows another company to manufacture a product without the permission of a patent owner. It has been found that this can reduce the price of some drugs by up to 95%. Parallel importing is when someone other than the authorised distributor is given permission to import a product. Both compulsory licensing and parallel importing are permitted under an agreement known as Trade Related Aspects of International Property (TRIPS), which has been agreed at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). |
In 1997, the South African government proposed sweeping changes to the Medicine Act. These were designed to put an end to unethical marketing practices by the pharmaceutical companies and to promote the use of generic (cheaper) drugs and to legalise parallel imports. The desperate plight of AIDS patients was one of the reasons behind these changes. The proposals subsequently became law.
For the last two years, the drug companies, with the full support of the US government, has been trying to get these provisions set aside. The US government organised special task forces on this issue. Vice President Gore has raised the issue directly with President Thabo Mbeki.
Health activists in the US have mounted a campaign in support of South Africa, with some success. On 16 June, AIDS activists disrupted Gore's announcement that he will be running for President). He has since indicated that US policy might change. In South Africa, the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) is calling on trade unions, churches, business and other organisations to campaign against US government interference in South African drug policy.