The U.S. should respect international trade provisions, to which it is a party, that allow compulsory licensing for items, such as AIDS drugs, needed to protect the public interest. In this case, the health of an immense population is at stake. The most indebted and impoverished nations in Africa are devoting more to funds to servicing debts than to providing basic health care.
Debt relief does help.
Using the money available as a result of debt relief, the government created a development program that incorporated an AIDS prevention initiative. World health authorities have specifically called for debt relief as a necessary step toward a solution.