Clinton Foundation Brokers Deal For Cheap AIDS Drugs For Kids

As we noted yesterday, Friday is World AIDS Day. President Bill Clinton's Foundation provided a bit of momentum going into the day's events when it announced that it had brokered a deal with two Indian drug companies to make AIDS drugs designed for children available to 62 developing countries at an average price less than half that of the lowest current price.

By assuring the drugmakers a volume of sales high enough to justify the lower prices, Clinton enabled the companies to provide these drugs to the pediatric market, which until now has been seen as too unprofitable.

Major kudos to President Clinton, Cipla, Ranbaxy Laboratories, and everyone else who made this deal possible. These are the kinds of steps that developed (and developing) countries can take to try and stem the tide of AIDS worldwide. By understanding that drug companies cannot give their product away, but at the same time making these companies understand the vital importance of providing affordable drugs, Clinton has shown us a model for how the public and private sectors can work together to solve this terrible problem.