Events |

Sydney conference July 2007

At the 4th International Aids Society Conference in Sydney in July 2007 MSF presented its new data on paedatric treatment and also released a report on prices of anti-retroviral treatment for HIV/AIDS. The paedatric results demonstrated good clinical results but sub-optimal virological outcomes which confirmed concerns about the effectiveness of treating children without access to appropriate and adapted paediatric AIDS drug formulations. The report on drug prices showed dramatic price reductions for second-line antiretroviral treatment over the last year, largely stimulated by a compulsory license issued by Thailand. But the report also identifies a worrying trend: using the newer, less-toxic first-line combination, now recommended by the World Health Organization, raises the cost for patients by nearly 500%, from US$99 to up to US$487.