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Clinton lauds commitment of Indian companies

Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

Lowering the prices of AIDS drugs needed to treat children commendable

— Photo: AFP

NATIONAL EFFORT: The former U.S. President, Bill Clinton, and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, French Minister of Foreign Affairs Philippe Douste-Blazy (second from left) and Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss look on, during the launch of the National Paediatric HIV/AIDS Initiative in New Delhi on Thursday.

NEW DELHI: The former U.S. President, Bill Clinton, on Thursday lauded the commitment of Indian pharmaceutical firms in lowering the prices of the drugs for children and India's efforts to provide quality medical care to its citizens.

He was speaking after the launch of the National Paediatric HIV/AIDS Initiative by the United Progressive Alliance chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, at Kalawati Saran Children's Hospital here.

Under the initiative, 36 Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) Centres and seven registered paediatrics centres will be set up for free CD-4 count monitoring of HIV/AIDS of patients up to 15 years of age.

Acknowledging India's contribution in the fields of science, maths, philosophy, culture, health — as also the role of Gandhi and non-violence — Mr. Clinton said that even now India is leading the path through its private sector, non-governmental organisations and efforts in bringing down the cost of essential pharmaceutical drugs. "Innovation is part of your cultural DNA and that has been exemplified yet again."

"Tomorrow is World Aids Day and time to introspect what we have learnt, remember the friends we lost and ponder what we can do to turn the tide," Mr. Clinton said. A major step forward in reducing the price of medicine for HIV/AIDS, a new three-in-one dispersible tablet that replaces individual solutions which need refrigeration, has been priced by Cipla and Ranbaxy at less than $60 a year for an average child. The new agreements, Mr. Clinton said, will help in supply of 19 different paediatric anti-retroviral formulations for prices that are on average 45 per cent less than the lowest rates available in 62 low-income countries. This, he hoped, will give access to every child and adult who needs treatment.

The new prices, he added, have been made possible by UNITAID, the international drug purchase facility established in September by France and four other countries. UNITAID will give the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative $35 million in the next year for buying medicines and diagnostics and the Foundation will contribute another $15 million for technical assistance for helping 1,00,000 additional HIV positive children in 40 countries, including 10,000 in India in 2007.

Ms. Gandhi, who also released and handed over a protocol booklet for administering the treatment to the hospital in-charge, Dr. A.K. Dutta, said it was a painful paradox till now that while Indian pharmaceutical companies were making generic drugs at reasonable rates they were not able to supply them in India, where only about 8 per cent of the affected people were getting treatment for HIV/AIDS. But now that has changed and efforts would be made to widen the net.

The demands for fighting HIV/AIDS are urgent and it has reached the scale of an epidemic. But while it is natural for the world to sketch a negative scenario, she said States such as Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra had reached a plateau in AIDS spread. Noting that leadership and commitment can help matters, she said six States are in urgent need of efforts, and these include Manipur and Nagaland, which border Myanmar that is a hub of drug trade.

Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said that while the number of HIV/AIDS patients is large in India efforts are being made to ensure that "India does not become another Africa." The Prime Minister himself chairs the National AIDS Council which shows the importance accorded to the issue. But along with prevention, he said, caring support also needs to be promoted and there should be synergy between the two.

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