UNICEF lauds price slashing of 16 AIDS medicines in 66 developing countries

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) hailed a joint new initiative by a UN-backed drug purchasing consortium and former United States President Bill Clinton’s foundation which will slash the prices of 16 AIDS treatments in developing countries, opening the door to improving children’s access to much-needed medicines.

According to UNICEF, this agreement will allow millions of children to receive treatment.

Mr. Clinton announced that the agreements with the generic drug manufacturers Cipla and Matrix will drastically reduce the prices of second-line antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) and a new, once daily pill that is currently prohibitively expensive in poorer countries.

“Seven million people in the developing world are in need of treatment for HIV/AIDS,” he said. “We are trying to meet that need with the best medicine available today, and at prices that low and middle income countries can afford.”

The negotiations were conducted by the Clinton Foundation, including new prices for second-line drugs which will save poorer countries 25 per cent and middle-income nations 50 per cent. These drugs are used to treat patients who develop a resistance to first-line ones.

These price reductions were made possible by UNITAID, an international drug purchasing facility launched by former Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2006, which will provide the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative with over $100 million over 18 months to buy these second-line medications for 27 countries.

“Every person living with HIV deserves access most effective medicines, and UNITAID aims to ensure that these are affordable for all developing countries,” said Philippe Douste-Blazy, chairman of UNITAID’s Board and French Foreign Minister.

UNITAID, which is funded by 34 countries as of now, relies on innovative mechanisms to raise money, including a levy on airline tickets. This year, it will provide $300 million, and financing is expected to exceed $500 million in 2009.

Mr. Clinton today also announced that the cost of a first-line medicine, a once daily pill made available in the US in 2006 which is now considered the gold-standard treatment, combining the drugs tenofovir, lamivudine and efavirenz. The new cost per patient per year of $339 – less than $1 per day – marks a 45 per cent decrease from current prices in developing countries and a 67 per cent reduction in middle income ones.