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Lewis welcomes Clinton AIDS deal

    JOHANNESBURG

    The UN has welcomed a deal struck by former US President Bill Clinton to secure cheaper anti-AIDS drugs for the developing world.

    Clinton announced last week that the deal would not only reduce the cost of second-line drugs, but also the price of rapid HIV tests. First-line drugs are used in the earliest stages of treatment.

    Stephen Lewis, the UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, said the agreement was vital as about 10 to 15 percent of people on first-line drugs would need new treatment combinations in three or four years.

    "What Clinton has done ... [is] he's negotiated the prices so much lower than are now available that it will make a great difference to keeping people alive," Lewis told reporters in Canada.

    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

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