Access to effective medicines has been a serious problem faced by most HIV carriers and AIDS patients in China, who fail to receive proper treatment because they are unable to afford costly AIDS drugs.

Until Chinese researchers develop the country's own AIDS medications, which are expected to be much cheaper than foreign drugs, the world's most populous country will have to depend on foreign drugs in the treatment.

According to China Daily, research on effective traditional Chinese medicines is under way but remains in the beginning stage.

Recently, Merck Sharp and Dohme (China), a Shanghai-based pharmaceutical company under Merck & Co, one of the world's big name AIDS drug companies, announced that the price of its two AIDS drugs would be lowered in China this month.

"It is good that the prices of the two drugs were lowered," said Cao Yunzhen, deputy director of the National Center for AIDS Prevention and Control of the Ministry of Health.

"Although the price is still relatively high, it makes it possible for more patients to receive treatment," she said.

The price cut is the result of long-term negotiations between the company and the Ministry of Health,which is persuading other international companies to cut prices on their AIDS drugs.

GlaxoSmith Kline, another world famous pharmaceutical company, also expressed a willingness to slash prices on its anti-HIV products and expressed its support of any efforts to further tackle HIV/AIDS in China.

It is estimated that China has more than 600,000cases of HIV infection. That number could climb to 10million by the year 2010if the current 30percent growth rate of HIV does not slow down, Health Minister Zhang Wenkang warned.

(eastday.com December 10, 2001)