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 The World Health
Organization (WHO) estimates that up to 182,000 people in Mexico are
living with HIV/AIDS, while 35,000 are currently in treatment. Although
there are many reasons why only a fraction of those who would benefit are
receiving therapy, one factor is the cost of AIDS drugs.
Many of us in the United States have benefited from the AIDS Drug
Assistance Program, which provides access to lifesaving medications for
people who would not otherwise be able to afford them. The U. S. Federal
Government negotiates with the pharmaceutical companies to get the best
purchase price for medications to be provided in its various programs like
the Veteran’s Administration, Medicare or ADAP. The United States is
classified as a developed country with a Gross National Income (GNI)
averaging around $40,100 per person.
Many countries around the world are at the other end of the economic
spectrum and fall into the “Least Developed Countries” (LDC) category.
This classification indicates a country with a lot of poverty and a poor
healthcare infrastructure. Most of the nations in
Sub-Saharan Africa fall into this category and they have been most
affected by the AIDS epidemic. Because of their least developed status and
the devastation wrought by AIDS, they have access to policies and
contractual agreements with pharmaceutical companies that allow them to
purchase AIDS drugs at a substantially discounted price. It is right and
just that the poorest countries that have been ravaged by AIDS should get
a break on the purchase price of drugs.
Mexico, on the other hand, is defined as a “Middle-Income Country” (MIC),
because its GNI is about $6,790 per person. Mexico may not be as poor as
other nations, however, with the average annual cost for antiretroviral
treatment currently over $8,000, the cost of these medicines is as out of
reach for people in Mexico as it is for people in a country like Uganda,
whose GNI is $260.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation encourages pharmaceutical companies to
negotiate lower purchase costs for “Middle Income Countries,” like Mexico,
in order to effectively battle the global AIDS epidemic. After all, when a
country is able to negotiate a lower purchase price for HIV/AIDS drugs on
behalf of its citizens, a larger amount can be purchased and many more
people can have access to treatment. |