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Former US President Bill Clinton has struck a deal to reduce prices on second-line anti-AIDS drugs for HIV-positive people in the developing world, should they develop resistance to current medications.
First-line drugs are used in the earliest stage of treatment, but when patients become resistant to these, costlier second-line drugs are prescribed.
Clinton said the deal with the nine small drug firms was a "step in the right direction", but admitted he would have liked to see more of the bigger companies on board.
"With more than one million people on treatment in developing countries, we face a growing challenge to keep costs affordable ... This is only the first step. We expect to lower the cost of more second-line drugs later this year," he said in a statement.
The agreement not only aims to lower the price of advanced therapies by 30 percent or more, but will also halve the cost of HIV diagnosis.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions