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AIDS Drugs

Money as a driving force behind many human rights cases can be demonstrated by the conflict over the price of AIDS drugs in Africa. AIDS has become an epidemic that has devastated the continent. Over 24 million people are affected by AIDS in Africa, and in some countries prevalence rates reach more than 20% of the population (up to 36% in Botswana) . AIDS is a terminal illness; most children that receive it from their parents will die before they reach their teens. Treatments that slow the onset of AIDS, or drugs that cure the various diseases that kill AIDS patients are much too expensive for the vast majority of Africans. Many countries have called on these countries to reduce their prices, even sell their drugs at a loss based on humanitarian grounds. Some companies even illegally copy popular drugs and treatments and sell them at a more affordable price . The clash between the suffering and the multinational drug companies that enforce intellectual property rights will shape the future of an entire continent.