§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on progress made by the Accelerating Access Initiative facilitated by UNAIDS. [146248]
§ Clare ShortThe United Nations programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is making good progress on Accelerating Access to HIV/AIDS-related care and treatment. Over 20 countries have expressed interest in participating. Senegal and Uganda have negotiated significantly lower prices for antiretroviral medicines for their national HIV treatment programmes.
There has been greater transparency of both the acceleration process in general, and of indicative prices in particular. Although progress is being made, much more needs to be done, both in terms of transparency in prices from suppliers, but also in respect of further discounts on prices. The Cabinet Office Performance and Innovation Unit (PIU) study will further contribute to increasing access to HIV/AIDS care and treatment.
However, we must all remain clear that the complexity and toxicity of treatment and the weakness of health systems in many developing countries mean that such initiatives will have a limited impact.