More than six months later, there is still little progress on the promised discount. As the first step of a two-tiered approach, MSF calls on the five multinational drug companies to immediately reduce the price of their AIDS drugs in poor countries by at least 95 per cent of the US wholesale price. Major discounts for poor countries should be similar to those already in place for vaccines and contraceptives. But price reductions are only one possible option for poor countries to increase access to life-prolonging AIDS drugs. Countries that have not waited for large multinationals to lower prices have already brought down the cost of antiretroviral drugs dramatically, as MSF research 1 shows.
Brazil is the most striking example of how local generic drug production can reduce prices.
The Brazilian approach has been to import the best quality generic raw materials and locally manufacture finished products. Countries such as Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Guatemala, South Africa and Uganda have been speaking both to Brazilian and Indian generic manufacturers that can sell the products at true discounted prices. Brazil has also been discussing technology transfer with other developing countries, so that they can begin producing their own quality medicines. This system diverts precious human resources from national AIDS programs. MSF, July 6th 2000.