Clinton to take stock of HIV/AIDS in India

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Clinton to take stock of HIV/AIDS in India

IANS [ THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2003 04:42:56 PM ]

NEW DELHI : Former US President Bill Clinton will be arriving here on

Friday on a private visit to thank three Indian companies that have

joined hands with his foundation to help provide affordable HIV/AIDS

drugs globally.

In a deal with the J Clinton Presidential Foundation in

October, three Indian pharmaceutical majors -- Ranbaxy Laboratories,

Cipla and Matrix Laboratories -- along with South Africa 's Aspen

Pharmacare Holdings promised to make drugs available to people in

African and Caribbean nations at about half the current price.

The foundation's HIV/AIDS initiative programme covers Sub-Saharan

Africa, South Africa and the Caribbean countries to offer treatment

to two million patients by 2008. Of an estimated 42 million people

suffering from HIV/AIDS, only around 300,000 are receiving treatment.

After Africa , Asia has the second largest number of AIDS patients

with India as the most vulnerable in the region, said experts.

According to the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) of the

health ministry, India currently has 56,151 people afflicted with

AIDS, of which 387 are new cases reported in October. During the

private visit organised by his foundation, Clinton will hold talks

with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and External Affairs

Minister Yashwant Sinha to take stock of the work being done in the

country to combat the problem of AIDS, Naco officials said. " We will

not be directly participating in any programme during Clinton 's

visit except to provide inputs at the official level on the work

being undertaken, " a Naco official said.

Every month, hundreds of new cases are being reported under the

surveillance programme being implemented across the country by the

government with the help of NGOs and health workers.

Tamil Nadu tops with 24,667 reported cases of AIDS, followed by

Maharashtra with 9,232 cases, Andhra Pradesh 4,339 cases and Gujarat

3,488 cases. Mumbai alone has over 3,000 cases and is one of the

major centres where awareness programmes are being conducted to help

check the fatal disease which has afflicted people, mostly in the

prime of their lives. Studies by Naco have revealed that the

majority of AIDS cases are found in the 30-44 age group followed by

young people in the 15-29 group.

By partnering with the Clinton Foundation and getting a commitment of

the off-take, the four pharma majors will be able to offer

antiretroviral drugs at $140 per person a year, which is almost half

the current price of inexpensive commonly used drugs.

" Clinton will visit our research and development centre and interact

with the heads of the four companies that will manufacture and

distribute two of the most commonly used combination drug-therapy

cocktails, " a spokesperson for Ranbaxy said.

It will be Clinton 's first meeting with the four organisation heads

after the signing of the deal.

So far, under the foundation's programme, only limited drug supplies

have been made available in the Dominican Republic and Bahamas . Soon

supplies will begin in Mozambique , Rwanda , Tanzania and South

Africa .

" We are very encouraged by Clinton's visit, as it will push ahead the

programme started by our company to manufacture and supply

antiretroviral drugs at absolutely affordable prices, " said a Ranbaxy

spokesperson.

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