The
international medical organization Doctors without Borders has said that
medicines for treating AIDS are still too expensive for many patients. This is
especially true for victims living in developed countries.
Deutsche Welle, 21 July 2014
The
organization revealed the results of a study at the World AIDS Conference
taking place in Melbourne. The charity said that victims in poorer countries
were much less affected by the spiraling prices, spending only around 100 euros
($135) a year on drugs to treat the disease, but that pharmaceutical companies were
charging patients in developed countries huge amounts.
"Today,
we know exactly which tools we need to keep the virus within limits in patients
living with HIV," Jennifer Cohn, the medical director of the access
campaign for Doctors without Borders said. "But in most cases, the prices
are too high. We need to remove barriers on patents and provide more finances.”
No sign of
a cure
AIDS
researchers also said there were no imminent signs of a cure for the disease.
Steven Deeks, researcher at the University of California, said that developing
a cure for those already infected could take "many, many years."
Scientists
had been optimistic after an infant responded to treatment and appeared to have
no traces of the virus without antiretroviral treatment. But recently, the
virus showed up again on the so-called "Mississippi" baby, leading
scientists to abandon the hope that they were on the path to a cure.
Need for
new laws
Activists
at the World AIDS conference accused national governments of being responsible
for the increase in the number of AIDS victims because of their laws.
"The
cruel reality is that in every region of the world, stigma and discrimination
continue to be the main barriers to effective access to health," said
Nobel Laureate Francoise Barre-Sinoussi, who co-discovered the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
A recent
United Nations report said that 79 countries had laws that criminalize same sex
practices. Uganda and Nigeria have recently passed anti-gay laws and India has
restored a previous law which bans sodomy.
Experts say
that HIV spreads stealthily when, for example, sex workers, gays and
intravenous drug users are criminalized. Kene Esom, a Nigerian gay rights
activist said these laws sometimes crippled efforts to spread the word about
safe sex and improve access to life-saving drugs.
Western
countries donated 14 billion euros last year to fight AIDS in developing
countries. However, Former Australian high court justice Michael Kirby said:
"they cannot expect taxpayers in other countries to shell out…huge funds
for antiretroviral drugs if they simply refuse to reform their own laws and
policies to help their own citizens." If Western governments heed Kirby’s
words, future funds to developing countries fighting AIDS may be subject to several
conditions.
mg/pfd
(AFP, dpa)
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