Pefile, Sibongile2019-09-252019-09-252012-01-1120032940286116http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12424/182584"The recent upsurge in private pharmaceutical involvement in national and international drug donation partnerships is often attributed to increasing pressure for social responsibility. Views on the role of the pharmaceutical industry in the improvement of health care in developing countries are often polarized, due to the ongoing debate over the issue of pharmaceutical patents and the high price of medicines needed in low-income countries. An additional source of concern is the fact that less than 1% of new chemical entities registered by health authorities in the industrialized countries are for the treatment of so-called ‘orphan’ diseases which occur mainly in low-income countries2. This paper reviews how two pharmaceutical companies — Boerhinger Ingleheim and Pfizer — forged partnerships with governments and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to improve access to new medicines for HIV/AIDS. With an estimated 42 million people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide and over 29 million afflicted in sub-Saharan Africa alone, HIV/AIDS is not only a health issue, but also a demographic, economic and social problem, especially in African countries3. One of the major barriers to efforts to address HIV/ AIDS is the continuing lack of access to new medicines at affordable prices."(pg 1)engWith permission of the license/copyright holderhealth ethicsAIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency SyndromeBioethicsHealth ethicsConference proceedings