Clinton announces anti-malaria drug deal
22.07.2008 20:01
Health
- Source: cbc.ca
Former U.S. president Bill Clinton says a price-cutting deal has been reached with some of the world's leading manufacturers of anti-malaria drugs. Clinton said his foundation, the Clinton Global Initiative, has signed an agreement with six companies in China and India to sell the drugs at lower prices to about 70 countries. The agreements are with two suppliers at three levels of the supply chain — raw material, processing and final formulation — and the foundation hopes to add more suppliers. "Today, the supply as well as the demand have led to these dramatic fluctuations in prices," Clinton said Thursday in New York. "Our goal, among other things, is to make sure this little plant is available in sufficient supply and over time, we can rationalize these prices." The "little plant" is Artemisinin, a plant extract that is increasingly replacing the standard malarial treatment of Chloroquine, to which the malaria parasite has developed a resistance in many parts of the world. Prices of Aremisinin have been fluctuating between $155 to $1,100 per kilogram in recent years. The former president in 2002 established an HIV/AIDS initiative that sought to negotiate lower prices for antiretroviral treatments, and he since has expanded his focus to include malaria treatments such as artemisinin-based combination therapies, or ACTs. Malaria kills about one million people a year, with children making up half of all the fatalities. With files from the Associated PressStory Tools: E-MAIL | PRINT | Text Size: SMLXL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACKRelatedInternal LinksMalaria: disease without bordersHealth HeadlinesViagra may help women with sex problems tied to antidepressants: studyViagra's effect on women has been disappointing, but a new small study found those on antidepressants may benefit from taking the little blue pills. Anesthetic gel could make mammograms more bearable: studyApplying some pain-relieving gel to the breasts before a mammogram could help in reducing breast pain — and encourage women to undergo the perocedure, suggests new research.Epilepsy drug may increase risk of birth defectsPregnant women who take a common epilepsy drug may increase their risk of birth defects, finds a new study. U.S. doctors want to maximize heart pump successDoctors have begun pairing heart pumps with high doses of cardiac medication in hopes that more aggressive therapy will shrink flabby enlarged hearts enough to avoid a transplant, or at least enable patients to survive longer without one. Ottawa newborns announced by a few bars of BrahmsBabies that enter the world crying and screaming are now being coaxed back to sleep by the strains of Johannes Brahms's lullaby. Health FeaturesBIRTH CONTROLThird World woesMillions need help, advocates sayIN DEPTHRed, red wineHealth pros and consANOTHER VIEWDrugs and drivingNew law a 'positive step', analyst saysIN DEPTHTrans fatsMoving away from bad fatsHEALTH & FITNESSPeter HadzipetrosBreaking up's not that hard to doPeople who read this also read …
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