Clinton Foundation, World Food Programme Sign Agreement To Distribute Food to AIDS Patients in Developing Nations

The William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation on Friday signed an agreement with the World Food Programme to provide food to HIV/AIDS patients in developing countries in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean, the AP/Yahoo! News reports. The partnership will combine the Clinton Foundation's antiretroviral drug access program with WFP's food-distribution system, expanding the services to individuals already receiving medicines through the Clinton Foundation's drug distribution program (Hammer, AP/Yahoo! News 5/7). The Clinton Foundation's HIV/AIDS Initiative in October 2003 secured a deal with five generic drug makers to reduce the cost of commonly used three-drug antiretroviral regimens. The foundation in April agreed to a pricing program making fixed-dose combination antiretrovirals available in more than 100 countries at about one-third to one-half of the cost of the lowest price currently offered (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 4/9). Former President Clinton in a statement released on Friday said, "One of the key challenges we face in tackling the HIV/AIDS crisis is that if a patient is malnourished, the (antiretroviral drugs) often do not take full effect." He added that many people receiving drugs through the initiative often remain too weak to provide food for themselves or their families (AP/Yahoo! News, 5/7).