Ethics

Pharmaceutical companies remained impassive for many years during the outbreak of AIDS in Africa. This was evident by their continuous refusal over the years to lower drug prices for AIDS treatment even as the disease killed millions. Major pharmaceutical companies finally cut down the prices of AIDS treatment drugs because of the immense pressure from critics, the scare that a resistant strain of HIV would emerge, and the threat of industries, like Cipla, who were willing to produce generic drugs to sell at reduced costs and pay the patent holder royalties.

Pharmaceutical companies argue that the slow spread of AIDS treatment in Africa does not have anything to do with drug prices or their availability. They maintain that prevalent issues, like poor sanitation, the lack of medical infrastructure, the general lack of information, political interference and corruption, amongst African countries are to blame for the scarce availability of treatment for AIDS patients within the continent. Besides these concerns, drug companies worry that they would not make profit or recover costs incurred during drug development if they slash drug prices or allow production of generic forms.

AIDS activists on the other hand feel that pharmaceutical companies overstate the drug prices, arguing that most of the costs they incur are from advertising and not drug research and development. Critics feel that the real issue that hinders drug availability is patent rights and access. For both parties the issue of contention is patent rights. With pharmaceutical companies wanting continued protection of their patent rights, and activists seeing this as a hindrance to the access of affordable treatment for HIVAIDS patients.

Pharmaceutical companies should retain their patent rights but also reduce cost of drugs or allow the production of generic forms that would be available to underprivileged people in the continent. Anticorruption organisations should also be created to monitor the candid and fair distribution of the drugs to HIVAIDS patients through out the continent.