The Stop AIDS Campaign has welcomed the launch of a new initiative on 19th September, to increase access to essential medicines for HIV, TB and Malaria in developing countries, but has urged the UK government not to undermine the important initiative by backing out of financing commitments.
Forming a coalition of more than 90 UK NGO's to fight HIV and AIDS, the Stop AIDS Campaign has said that although the UK government has been an admirable leader in securing global commitments for HIV treatment for all by 2010, it needs to fully back this key mechanism that will help achieve this target.
The International Drug Purchasing Facility (IDPF) is an innovative financing mechanism developed by Brazil, Chile, France, Norway and the UK (the UNITAID Group). It will use revenues from air passenger duty to leverage new and predictable resources for the fight against major diseases, induce significant reductions in the prices of essential medicines, and therefore increase access to treatment.
The IDPF will focus on significantly reducing the cost of new medicines for the three biggest pandemics in the developing world - HIV & AIDS, TB and malaria - that are urgently needed because of resistance to currently used medicines.
However, the Stop AIDS Campaign has expressed its disappointment that the UK government has indicated it will not be making its contributions to the IDFP as an additional supplement to existing aid commitments.The UK government's failure to back the IDPF with new money from our current air passenger duty undermines this initiative as it is launched.
Steve Cockburn, Coordinator of the Stop AIDS Campaign
Whilst Brazil, Chile, France and Norway are all making their contributions from air levies in addition to their existing aid commitments, the UK government has recently indicated that it will not.
