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Saturday, July 04, 2009
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HIV/AIDS |
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1 in 3 people that are HIV positive live in southern Africa and 9 of the 10 countries with the worst HIV/AIDS prevalence can be found in the region.
No part of the world has been worse hit by HIV/AIDS. Left unchecked the impact of the disease in southern Africa will be devastating, both for individuals but wider socioeconomic stability.
ACTSA campaigns to ensure the pandemic receives the proper response from the international community. In particular ACTSA seeks to ensure that access to treatment is broadened and that those most vulnerable to the disease are afforded the correct protection. Push for the Pool Every day 6000 people are dying from AIDS related illnesses, unable to access the treatment they need to stay alive. One of the main reasons for this is that many drugs are too expensive for people and governments in developing countries to afford.
When a company invents a new drug they are given the exclusive right, or patent, to produce and sell it. These patents last for 20 years, and so for that length of time there is no competition. The lack of competitors means the drug company can set the price of the drug artificially high, too often making it
unaffordable for poor people and governments.
ACTSA is supporting the Stop AIDS Campaign's calls for a patent pool for HIV/AIDS treatment.
A patent pool is a simple system where patent-owners voluntarily give their patents to a central organisation that then licenses them to other companies and researchers. Companies that make unbranded drugs and researchers that want to use the patents to develop new versions of the drugs can access the
patents in the Pool in exchange for paying a fair royalty to the patent owners. The Pool acts as a ‘one-stopshop’ for managing the negotiations and receiving and paying the royalties.
>> Sign the Stop AIDS Campaign's Push for the Pool petition (External link)
>> Find out more about the Push for the Pool campaign (External link)
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How you can help
Tell a friend
ACTSA is an active member of the Stop AIDS Campaign (SAC), a coalition group of NGOs and trade unions with a common interest of stopping the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
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Action for Southern Africa - Peace, Justice, Solidarity Email:actsa@actsa.org Tel:020 3263 2001 Fax:020 7931 9398 231 Vauxhall Bridge Road London SW1V 1EH 'A satiworks website'
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