How an FTA between the EU and India could threaten access to affordable medicines

India has been called the ‘pharmacy of the developing world’ because it produces a large number of high-quality, affordable generic medicines. Thanks in large part to competition stemming from Indian generics, the price of first-line ARVs dropped from more than US$10,000 per person per year in 2000 to around $150 per person per year today. This significant price decrease has helped to facilitate the massive expansion of HIV treatment worldwide: more than 80% of the HIV medicines used to treat 6.6 million people in developing countries come from Indian producers, and 90% of paediatric HIV medicines are Indian-produced. MSF and other treatment providers also rely on Indian generic medicines to treat other diseases and conditions.