The Gay Men's Health Crisis' Ronald Johnson is among the health advocates not wanting to jeopardize pharmaceutical companies' slashing of AIDS drugs prices in Africa by pushing for similar discounts in the United States. Individual state efforts to pressure for lower drug prices are hampered by the fact that federal law does not give them the leverage to refuse to buy drugs that they think are too costly. Jeff Trewhitt, a spokesman for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, also notes that drug companies' research and development budgets could be compromised if substantial AIDS drug price reductions were implemented throughout the world.
Other CDC News for March 23, 2001