Former President Bill Clinton on Friday visited Indian generic drug Ranbaxy Laboratories' pharmaceutical plant in Gurgaon, India, to show support for Indian companies that have agreed to manufacture low-cost generic antiretroviral drugs for nationwide HIV/AIDS treatment plans in four African and more than 12 Caribbean countries, the Associated Press reports (George, Associated Press, 11/21). The William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative last month secured a deal with Ranbaxy, Indian generic drug manufacturers Cipla and Matrix Laboratories and South Africa's Aspen Pharmacare that will reduce the cost of commonly used three-drug regimens to 38 cents per patient per day, down from the already discounted price of 55 cents per patient per day; the lowest available price of the same three-drug regimen using brand-name antiretrovirals is $1.54 per patient per day. Clinton estimated that the treatment programs will cost $700 million over the next five years, and he said that Ireland and Canada have agreed to fund two of the African programs (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 11/3). Clinton on Friday said that his foundation's initiative will reduce antiretroviral drug costs in developing countries to $139 per person annually, according to the Associated Press.

Treatment Important for Prevention
"There are six million people in the world who need medication for HIV/AIDS, of whom only about 300,000 are getting antiretroviral drugs," Clinton said, adding, "[The initiative] cuts costs of HIV/AIDS drugs by two-thirds, making it affordable for a maximum number of people, considering the staggering dimension of this problem" (Associated Press, 11/21). Clinton said the agreement will make antiretroviral drugs available to two million people worldwide in the next four to five years, according to rediff.com (Joseph, rediff.com, 11/21). Clinton added that making antiretroviral drugs available is "very important" for HIV/AIDS prevention, adding, "The incentive to get tested if you're going to find out you can live a normal life and by taking proper precautions you can prevent the infection is quite high" (Agence France-Presse, 11/21). During his trip to India, Clinton is expected to meet with Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and other government representatives in New Delhi (rediff.com, 11/21).