allAfrica.com: Africa: Daily HIV/Aids Report (Page 1 of 3)

Drug Access

Clinton Foundation, UNITAID Announce New Antiretroviral Discounts

[Apr 29, 2008]

The Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative and UNITAID on Monday announced that they have negotiated agreements with generic drug companies that will reduce the cost of some antiretroviral drugs and provide new pediatric formulations, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The agreements -- made with Indian drug makers Aurobindo Pharma, Cipla and Matrix Laboratories -- will provide discounts on more than 40 generic second-line antiretroviral drug formulations. They will reduce the price of the most commonly used second-line regimens -- tenofovir, lamivudine, and a combination of lopinavir and ritonavir -- according to the Journal (Chase, Wall Street Journal, 4/29).

The new prices are a reduction of as much as 19% when compared with the costs the organizations announced in May 2007, AFP/Yahoo! News reports. The new price for a second-line regimen containing tenofovir, lamivudine and lopinavir/ritonavir is a 16% reduction from the current average price in low-income countries and a 46% reduction in middle-income countries, AFP/Yahoo! News reports (AFP/Yahoo! News, 4/28).

According to Clinton Foundation Chief Operating Officer Anil Soni, the agreements reduce the cost of second-line treatments for adults to about $659 annually from standard market costs of $1,000 to $4,000 annually in low- and middle-income countries, respectively.

UNITAID and CHAI also announced an agreement to provide a pediatric version of a zidovudine-based fixed dose combination therapy at a reduced price of $66 annually. UNITAID is providing a $120 million purchase commitment for 2008 to support the CHAI-negotiated discounts, Soni said (Wall Street Journal, 4/29).

In addition, UNITAID announced the addition of six new formulations to its pediatric HIV/AIDS treatment project that are more child-friendly than previous versions, according to a CHAI release. These new products include tablets, capsules and fixed-dose combinations that replace individual solutions, which often are difficult to dose, administer and store.

Former President Clinton said, "Today's announcement is an important step in helping to save the millions of children and adults infected with HIV in the developing world who still lack access to life-saving drugs." He added, "It is a testament to the will of governments and partners that we have been able to broaden the reach of our pediatric and second-line AIDS treatment projects so rapidly. I am proud that my foundation is working with UNITAID to optimize the use of available resources and to more effectively serve patients."

Chair of UNITAID's Executive Board Philippe Douste-Blazy said, "We are pleased to report that now over 200,000 children and adults living with HIV/AIDS are benefiting from UNITAID and CHAI support," adding that "this achievement represents a major step in our partnership to reach hundreds of thousands of additional children through 2010 and lower the price of second-line treatment" (CHAI release, 4/28).

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Politics and Policy

Washington Post Examines Peace Corps' Policy Regarding HIV-Positive Volunteers

[Apr 29, 2008]

Washington Post columnist Stephen Barr on Monday examined the Peace Corps' policy regarding HIV-positive volunteers. According to Barr, Jeremiah Johnson, a former volunteer in Ukraine, recently was discharged by the agency after he was diagnosed as HIV-positive.

Johnson discovered that he is HIV-positive in January during a scheduled medical exam that took place in Ukraine's capital of Kiev. Johnson said that a few days after the test results came back positive, the Peace Corps' Ukraine country director told him to return to Washington, D.C., because Ukrainian law prevents HIV-positive people from working in the country. According to Johnson, he was never provided with a copy of the law. State Department and travel Web sites indicate that foreigners working in Ukraine on visas lasting more than three months are required to undergo HIV tests, according to Barr. The Peace Corps declined to comment on the issue, and a phone call to the Ukrainian Embassy was not returned, Barr writes.

After returning to the district, Johnson in February had another medical exam and was given a "medical separation" from the Peace Corps, according to Barr. The agency on the separation notice said that it had determined the "resolution of [Johnson's] condition(s) will take longer than the maximum-allowable 45 days" and that Johnson "would be medically unable to perform [his] volunteer assignment."

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