Their governments and Unaids, the United Nations Aids programme, have been working for the past three years on models for regulating the use of anti-HIV drugs. Most of the treatments, which have been credited with dramatically reducing Aids deaths in the West, are too expensive for widespread distribution in developing countries, although efforts have been made to bring the cost down. But some people have been able to get hold of them through aid agencies, the black market or relatives living in the West.
People taking anti-HIV drugs often have to follow a complicated regime.
They may have to take a number of different drugs every day and some of the drugs must be taken at specific times of the day and on an empty stomach. Already, health experts have noticed a rise in the number of people in the West who do not respond to any anti-HIV drugs. They think this is mainly linked to failure to follow drug regimes correctly. Although the pilots have a year or so left to run, there is great demand for information on their success from other developing countries. For this reason, a first model will be available from early next year.