WHO applauds move to cut prices of AIDS Medicines. More Price Reductions Urgently Needed by The World Health Organisation 11:26pm 25th Oct, 2003   23 October – The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) today welcomed a deal to halve the price of some AIDS medicines, but said speedy distribution and effective care are still vital to ensure fairer treatment for patients around the world.    In New York today, the William J. Clinton Foundation announced that several pharmaceutical manufacturers had agreed to cut prices for some of their drugs.    WHO Director-General Lee Jong-wook praised the news, saying the delivery of better treatment for AIDS patients in developing countries – the overwhelming majority of HIV/AIDS sufferers live in sub-Saharan Africa – is “the most urgent health challenge the world faces.”    WHO and its partners aim to provide anti-retroviral therapy to three million people in poor countries by the end of 2005. As part of the plan, WHO is ensuring that training for health professionals and volunteers is more widely available, treatment guidelines are simpler, and supporting the construction of AIDS drugs and diagnostics centres.    The Director of WHO’s HIV/AIDS department, Dr. Paulo Teixeira, stressed that “further price reductions are vital for countries to be able to provide treatment to those who need it”.
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