We as research scientists are
dedicated to the cause of containing the threat of HIV/AIDS throughout the
world, especially in Africa. Compulsory licenses and parallel imports of
patented drugs would destroy the financial basis for further innovative
research. Developing countries, within the framework of the TRIPS Agreement,
are able to launch generic products when faced with a national emergency like
HIV/AIDS.
America’s pharmaceutical research
companies have invested almost $100 billion in research over the past decade.
This includes a vast resource of leading edge scientists, laboratories, and
new technologies. Based on government data, as of 1990 it cost around $359
million to develop a new medicine, that does not include the cost of
production, marketing, and
distribution. The FDA requires a stringent clinical trial process for
prescription drugs to be approved. The process can take up to ten years before
the drug can be marketed.
Even
if we ship large amounts of HIV/AIDS drugs to African governments there is no
guarantee that the medicines will be distributed to the afflicted. There is no
infrastructure in distributing, maintaining the required medical regimen for
the medicines to work. It is a well- known fact that there is corruption in
many developing countries, so, do we provide the medicines directly to the
governments for distribution, to the NGO’s, or directly to the hospitals and
existing healthcare systems?
There are a multitude of dilemmas that
are associated with the HIV/AIDS situation in Africa. Some Ugandans are
completely resistant to AIDS medications. Medicines if not administered in a
timely regimen will create resistant strains of HIV/AIDS. If the medicines are
given away, there will be little incentive for firms and scientists to
discover new medical advances. Is
it fair to have developed countries, like the United States bare the cost of
investment in new medical advances, while the developing countries consume the
fruits of our labor?
