Tom Harkin: “On July 11, the 15th Annual International AIDS Conference began in Bangkok, Thailand. The theme of this year's…”

“On July 11, the 15th Annual International AIDS Conference began in Bangkok, Thailand. The theme of this year's conference is ``Access for All,'' meaning access to lifesaving medications. As many of my colleagues know, the current AIDS pandemic threatens approximately 38 million people worldwide. Last year, 5 million more became infected. Sixty percent of all cases are in sub-Saharan Africa, but the virus is spreading almost unchecked in Asia and Eastern Europe. Twenty million people world-wide have died since the first case was diagnosed in 1981. Unfortunately, the theme of the Bangkok conference--``Access for All''--is a hope and aspiration that bears little resemblance to the harsh reality we confront today. In reality, most newly infected people will not receive anti-retroviral drugs in time to do any good. There are many barriers to progress: developing countries lack the trained physicians, nurses, or support staff to properly distribute anti-retroviral drugs and to monitor patients' progress. In addition, contributions to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS are not sufficient. Some countries are falling far short of what is needed. And on July 1, the Wall Street Journal reported another big reason why drug distribution has been difficult. Simply put, the United States government will not purchase effective generic drugs; it insists on brand-name pharmaceuticals.”