TRIPS, HIV/AIDS and Access to Medicines

The HIV/AIDS pandemic has claimed more than 17 million lives in sub-Saharan Africa. The scale of this disaster has triggered a global dialogue and much attention has focused on the high cost of anti-retroviral therapies used to keep HIV in check, and the cost of other drugs used to treat diseases which accompany HIV. This issue of Trade Hot Topics examines the effects of international trade rules and regulations on the price of and access to medicines.