| AIDS organisations have
hailed the drug pricing deal as a
breakthrough, with the potential
to save millions of lives. The former American president, Bill Clinton,
says he hopes as many as two million people will be on the medications
by 2008. The deal not only reduces the cost of certain AIDS drugs
by more than two thirds, but, its supporters say, it also gives
poor countries the confidence that they can afford to treat their
citizens in the long-term.
Bill Clinton's advisors worked with one South African company
and three others from India, who make generic,
or non-patented drugs, to broker
the deal. The companies opened their financial records
to the advisors to work out how costs could be cut,
with the result that the price of a generic triple-drug
regimen will cost less than forty American cents a day,
as opposed to over a dollar and fifty cents for the same patented
medicines. To pay for the drugs, the foundation also raised money
from rich nations, including Ireland and Canada. Three African
countries, Rwanda, Tanzania and Mozambique, along with several
others in the Caribbean, have been working with the Clinton foundation
to find cheaper AIDS treatments and have secured
funds from the World Bank and the Global Fund to Fight
AIDS to pay for them.
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drug pricing deal: business agreement
on how much the drugs can be bought for
a breakthrough: a successful and
important development
potential: possibility
medications: medicines
in the long-term: for a very long
time
generic, or non-patented drugs: generic and non-patented
drugs are terms used to describe drugs which are not registered
and can therefore be copied without permission
to broker the deal: to finalise
the arrangement
cut: reduced, lowered
triple-drug regimen: a treatment
plan where three drugs are taken together
secured funds: been given money
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