The Uganda Coalition for Access to Essential Medicines has welcomed Clinton Foundation announcement that generic AIDS drugs will now be available in some developing countries at dramatically reduced prices. The new price of US$0.36 (about Shs 716 in Uganda) per day nearly halves the lowest price to date. At this price a patient in Uganda would pay about Shs 21,000 per month instead of the current Shs 55,000 per month at some centres in Kampala.

"This is the best price I have heard so far. Our government should explore this opportunity and see if Ugandans living with AIDS can benefit from it. " says Rosette Mutambi, the Coalition Coordinator." Equally important in this announcement is that the generic companies involved are producing fixed-dose combinations, which can be taken in the form of one pill twice a day" adds Rosette Mutambi In Africa, the Foundation is working with Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa and Tanzania which together have about 33% of all people living with AIDS in Africa.

Under the Clinton Foundation agreement with some drug manufacturers, the price of one of the commonly used triple drug therapy combinations will drop from approximately $300 per person per year to less than $140 per person per year.

The drugs covered in the announcement are currently under patent in South Africa, but last week the South African Competition Commission ruled that the government should override patents to allow lower priced medicines and in particular fixed-dose combinations.

ENDS

Rosette Mutambi
Coordinator can be reached on these numbers 077484075, 041 270970,
Kinsingiri Road, Namirembe, Box 2426, Kampala.