Leaders of the world's richest countries agreed at the G8 summit to provide billions of dollars to help fight AIDS in Africa but, under present trade rules, much of that cash will go to multinational pharmaceutical companies. To the disappointment of pressure groups monitoring the summit, the leaders failed to make progress on new trade rules to allow poor countries to buy cheap, generic versions of new medicines - including the drugs which arrest AIDS.
Equity in Health
Aids could rob SA of half its workers
South Africa could lose between 40 and 50percent of its current workforce to Aids, according to new research released by the HIV-Aids organisation LoveLife. Funded jointly by the Henry J Kaiser and Bill and Melinda Gates foundations, the study also confirms previous findings that HIV infections could cost individual companies between two and sixpercent of the wage bill per year.
AIDS Drugs Act Differently on African HIV Strains
Researchers report that genetic variations in the HIV (news - web sites) strains most common in Africa seem to make it harder for drugs called protease inhibitors to fight them. But the results do not mean that the drugs are powerless against these strains of HIV, according to the study's lead author, who noted that other factors are involved in determining the effectiveness of protease inhibitors.
AIDS drugs on street corners in malawi
Malawi's government has issued a warning to vendors involved in the illegal sale of HIV/AIDS drugs, the Malawi Standard newspaper reported. Despite calls for their arrest, the informal businesses have maintained that these were the benefits of a liberal economy. However, the Registrar of the Pharmacies, Medicines and Poisons Board, Patrick Tembo, said: "Liberalisation doesn't mean trading in pharmaceutical drugs. It is illegal. Only registered institutions like hospitals and pharmacies are allowed to sell pharmaceutical drugs."
AIDS expert challenges ethical stance on drug trials
Measures to protect people in developing countries from being exploited in medical research trials may prevent some projects going ahead that could improve the health of poor people, a leading scientist has warned.
AIDS Leading Cause of Death in South African Women
AIDS-related illnesses are now the leading cause of death among South African women ages 15 to 39, accounting for nearly 10% of deaths among South African women, according to new figures released by Statistics South Africa, SABCNews.com reports. In addition, the proportion of South African deaths due to AIDS-related causes almost doubled from 4.6% in 1997 to 8.7% in 2001.
Aids protest poised to resume in South Africa
Aids activists are angry about the government's indecision over providing anti-Aids drugs and look set to resume their civil disobedience campaign. A final decision about returning to civil disobedience could be made at the Treatment Action Campaign's (TAC) national congress, which is to be held in Durban within the next two weeks. Provincial meetings ahead of the congress have already voted overwhelmingly in favour of a return to the disobedience campaign, which was suspended in April after a meeting between TAC representatives and Deputy President Jacob Zuma.
AIDS still Africa's biggest killer
HIV/AIDS is still the main cause of deaths in sub-Saharan Africa, but the region has been overtaken by Eastern Europe, especially the Russian Federation, as the place where the epidemic is growing the fastest, according to a new United Nations (UN) report.
AIDS Strikes Five Nations Hardest: UN Study
India, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa each have at least 2 million adults suffering from AIDS or infected with the HIV virus, according to a new UN statistical analysis released on Thursday.
AIDS to Slash Life Expectancy By 17 Years
THE United Nations Population Division has painted a grim picture of the HIV-AIDS epidemic spreading through Namibia and other countries in sub-Saharan Africa. In a new chart released by the UN Population Division, Namibia is said to be among eight countries where the life expectancy will have dropped by at least 17 years by 2005.