Situation

There are several issues that is impeding scaling up treatment worldwide. The first and foremost issue is that of human and institutional capacity. The second is drug availability and the cost of the drugs. It is unacceptable that some developing countries are paying over $10,000/year for HIV treatment even today. People in these countries cannot live without access to generics. Do we need innovation and should more and more countries move toward local production of antiretrovirals to save the lives of people in their countries?. The third issue is intellectual property. Greater efforts are needed to help countries take full advantage of TRIPS and other global trade agreements to help extend access to medications. Some of the developing countries are unfortunately not aware of their rights and being subjected to stricter than necessary patent provisions in local governments that undermine the flexibility extended to these poor countries by the Doha Declaration. The fourth is that prevention needs to remain a priority. Prevention should also be focused on as access to treatment is addressed. Stigma and discrimination is the fifth challenge. We need to address the social barriers that drive people away from care. The last factor is commitment. WHO is providing the technical support to increase treatemnt access. The World Bank is assisting by funding the initiative. The 3x5 initiative's goal is to provide treatment to 3 million people by the end of 2005. UNAIDS is working with WHO to co-ordinate accelerated access to treatment at country level. We have to act fast, be aggressive because people who need the medications cannot wait.