Vietnam Official Says Country Will Produce Generic AIDS Drugs After Settling Copyright Issues
Vietnam will begin producing generic copies of patented AIDS drugs as soon as it "settle[s] the issue of copyrights," according to an unnamed official with the Anti-AIDS Permanent Office, the AP/Modesto Bee reports. The plan, which also includes the development of "traditional herbal medicines" to boost the immune systems of people with HIV/AIDS, will be submitted for approval in May to the prime minister (AP/Modesto Bee, 2/1). The World Trade Organization stated last November that members can manufacture generic drugs without penalty in the event of a national health emergency. Vietnam currently is determining how to tackle the "legal issues related to the acquisition of the copyright[s]" from the patent-holding companies, Professor Chung A of the National Committee on AIDS Prevention said. Although drug companies have reduced prices to as little as $350 per patient per year in Africa, Vietnam still pays between $8,000 and $12,000 per person per year, an "impossible sum" for the government, Agence France-Presse reports. About 42,000 people have tested positive for HIV, but as many as 150,000 Vietnamese may have the virus, Chung said (Agence France-Presse, 2/1).
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