Surely, South Africa's devastating AIDS epidemic qualifies as such. Pursuing the lawsuit would have been a public-relations disaster. An international campaign had mobilized against the drug industry, accusing it of putting profits ahead of lives. In the fight against AIDS in Africa, cheaper medication is essential. Indeed, many companies have been acting on their own to lower drug prices.
Cheaper drugs are only part of the solution, however.
Most of the drugs listed as essential by the World Health Organization are not protected by patent and can be copied and sold cheaply. Unfortunately, in many parts of the developing world, these low-priced medicines fail to reach the poor. What's really needed are education and prevention campaigns, medical infrastructure, international funding and political will. In the case of AIDS, if the drug cocktails are not taken properly, resistance to them is likely. In the South African case, the companies made the right decision.