The pharmaceutical industry has at least two weapons of use in the fight, as the Bristol-Myers Squibb offer demonstrated. It can make its products more affordable. A maddening aspect of this tragedy is that, as steep as the discounts the drug firms are offering, the prices are still beyond the reach of impoverished African governments and individuals. Even were enough affordable doses of AIDS cocktails available, most African countries lack the health-care systems to administer the therapy. Targeted aid programs, backed by technical assistance, are essential.
Foreign aid is often a whipping boy in federal budget debates.
Americans are eager to pitch in when crises occur around the world - volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods. It is a humanitarian crisis of the first order. The detailed federal budget that President Bush will present next month ought to reflect Americans' humane and generous spirit. It ought to be bold in dedicating additional foreign aid to buying AIDS drugs and developing health-care systems that can administer them. Inc. All rights reserved.