African Ministers Agree on Draft Plan to Boost Anti-HIV SpendingAfrican ministers agreed on a draft declaration Wednesday calling on their countries to import and produce their own generic AIDS drugs and to boost spending dramatically on AIDS programs to fight the pandemic.African heads of state are expected to sign the document Thursday at the start of a two-day pan-African summit on AIDS, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases. Governments will then be asked to ratify the agreement in their respective legislative chambers. The African ministers' draft plan, worked out during pre-summit meetings in Abuja, called on the Organization of African Unity's 53 member states to import and produce their own generic drugs, "preferably in partnership with donors and pharmaceutical companies." The move is aimed at overcoming the high price of drugs sold by major pharmaceutical companies. Six sub-Saharan nations have already signed deals with leading drug companies that offer less expensive HIV drugs for Africa. Others, such as South Africa, have threatened to produce or import their own generic drugs despite stiff opposition from pharmaceutical companies. Wednesday's draft document called on signatories to spend at least 15 percent of annual government budgets on "a comprehensive multisectoral response" to the AIDS crisis, including funding of non-governmental AIDS commissions and committees. That figure is higher than the amount most countries spend on their entire health systems. Most of the countries spend 5 to 10 percent of their budget on such costs, according to U.N. figures. More than a dozen African leaders are expected to attend Thursday's summit, along with former President Clinton. The gathering is being organized by the OAU and the Nigerian government. |
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