Bristol-Myers Squibb has decided to give other companies the right to produce generic formulations of its stavudine AIDS drug for the African market. The company is also bringing the price of stavudine and didanosine to a combined $1 dollar per day for African nations. Executive vice president John L. McGoldrick asserts that his company is more interested in helping manage the continent's devastating epidemic than in making profits. ACT-UP Philadelphia's Kate Krauss states that the Bristol-Myers Squibb initiative is unprecedented in that the company admits that generic drugs are integral in saving lives, but activists remain disappointed that the company has not removed itself from the lawsuit against the South African government.

Other CDC News for March 15, 2001

Effectiveness of the Direct Observation Component of DOTS for Tuberculosis: a Randomized Controlled Trial in Pakistan Maker Yielding Patent in Africa for AIDS Drug Antiviral Cocktails Cut Cost of Treating Patients With HIV South Africa Resists Call for AIDS Emergency	As AIDS Grows For Minorities, So Does Funding; Groups Assisting City's Blacks, Latinos Win Increased Support The Danger of Living "Down Low"; Black Men Who Hide Their Bisexuality Can Put Women at Risk A New AIDS Strategy Brazil to Launch AIDS Vaccine Human Trials in April
Mogae Warns Botswana Faces Extinction From AIDS