AIDS In India: Public health related aspects of industrial and intellectual property rights policies in a developing country

Today, 40 million people are infected by HIV/AIDS worldwide. The epidemic essentially affects the developing countries where over 98% of HIV infections have been documented. To control the spread of the epidemic as well as avoid dramatic a socio-economic impact, a public health policy must address the issues of prevention and access to anti-AIDS treatment. On these points alone, the Indian case is of a considerable interest for two reasons. The AIDS epidemic is noticeably spreading in India. There are 4 million infected persons in the country and an explosion in the number of cases is feared due to the country’s enormous population. In addition, the Indian companies are key players in the anti-AIDS treatment market. They offer generic versions of drugs at considerably lower prices than those practiced by their northern competitors. Firstly, the report provides a detailed analysis of the epidemiological situation in India and introduces the preventive measures used to abate the spread of the epidemic among the general population. Secondly, the report identifies the factors that have to an acceleration in the supply of anti-AIDS drugs at competitive prices and to observe whether this has initiated a greater access to anti-AIDS treatments for Indians in reality. As a result, the report questions the link between intellectual property rights, industrial development and public health concerns in a developing country.

  • In :
    CSH Occasional Paper N°8, Publication of the French Research Institutes in India, Rajdhani Art Press
  • Year :
    2004
  • Pages :
    172
  • ISSN :
    0972-3579

You may also like...