UNAIDS: Millions Will Die If India Stops Cheap ARVs

The head of UNAIDS says millions of people worldwide will die if India stops making cheap antiretroviral (ARV) medications as a result of its trade deal with the European Union (EU), Reuters reports.

Michel Sidibe, executive director of UNAIDS, says that about 86 percent of people with HIV/AIDS around the globe who are on treatment are taking ARVs from India. The EU and India are negotiating a free-trade agreement that could delay or restrict competitors from generic meds by extending patents, requiring exclusivity and enacting harsher border enforcement rules. Those measures could drive up prices for Indian ARVs, limit dosage options and delay access to treatment.

July 5, 2011

UNAIDS: Millions Will Die If India Stops Cheap ARVs



The head of UNAIDS says millions of people worldwide will die if India stops making cheap antiretroviral (ARV) medications as a result of its trade deal with the European Union (EU), Reuters reports. Michel Sidibe, executive director of UNAIDS, says that about 86 percent of people with HIV/AIDS around the globe who are on treatment are taking ARVs from India. The EU and India are negotiating a free-trade agreement that could delay or restrict competitors from generic meds by extending patents, requiring exclusivity and enacting harsher border enforcement rules. Those measures could drive up prices for Indian ARVs, limit dosage options and delay access to treatment.

To read the Reuters article, please visit: http://in.news.yahoo.com/millions-die-india-stops-aids-drugs-u-n-123147805.html.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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