WHO calls for HIV/Aids treatment equality

The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has countries to come up with new methods to make medicines for the treatment of HIV/Aids and other diseases more affordable to the world's poorest countries.

Dr Margaret Chan, director general of WHO, said: "People should not be denied access to lifesaving and health-promoting interventions for unfair reasons," adding that the price of medicines could effectively block access to care in many places.

"Resistance develops and drugs fail, creating an urgent need for second- and third-line medicines," she told the opening session of a special working group dedicated to public health, innovation and intellectual property in Geneva.

"We have seen this problem most acutely with HIV/Aids. We are seeing it again with the spread of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis which is far more costly and difficult to treat."

The working group was set up last year, based on the findings of a Who-commissioned report headed by former Swiss President Ruth Dreifuss.

The report called for the pharmaceutical industry to cut the price of drugs sold in developing countries, something that they insist they have already done in many instances.

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