HIV This Week

Simon C, de Lemos G. [UNITAID: an innovative and collective financing system for the fight against malaria, AIDS and tuberculosis]. Med Trop (Mars) 2006;66:583-4.

Malaria, AIDS and tuberculosis cause more than 6 million deaths a year in developing countries. And yet medicines allowing effective treatment either exist already or could be designed in forms adapted to the populations most severely affected by these pandemics (e.g., pediatric antiretroviral formulations suitable for developing countries). Simon and de Lemos describe how by providing sustainable predictable revenues, UNITAID promises to be a powerful tool to respond to the specific needs of developing countries in terms not only of leveraging price reductions but also of developing appropriate drug forms and diagnostic techniques not currently on the market. Stable financing as well as negotiation of large-volume procurement programs for several countries will make it easier for manufacturers to predict requirements and avoid shortages. UNITAID is an independent structure that complements the existing organizations involved in the fight against these pandemics. It intervenes only at the request of beneficiary countries using local human resources and logistics and works to improve the infrastructure facilities whenever necessary.

Bor J. The political economy of AIDS leadership in developing countries: An exploratory analysis. Soc Sci Med 2007 Feb 2; [Epub ahead of print]

The commitment of high-level government leaders is widely recognized as a key factor in curbing national AIDS epidemics. But where does such leadership come from? Bor presents a quantitative analysis of the determinants of AIDS leadership in 54 developing countries, using the 2003 AIDS Program Effort Index "political support" score as an indicator of political commitment. Explanatory variables include measures of political institutions as well as economic development and integration. Models developed in the author’s analysis explain over half of the variation in commitment across the countries in the sample. In particular, the author concludes press freedoms, income equality, and HIV prevalence stand out as determinants of political commitment.