A generic drug may still have a patent on the formulation but not on the active ingredient. generic medications are exactly the same as their branded counterparts in dosage form, safety, strength, route of administration, quality, performance characteristics and intended use. The noticeable difference between the two is the price. HIV causes AIDS if proper treatment can’t be given after the infection. Presently, AIDS is now the world’s leading cause of death infectious death among adult. In the early 1980s when the HIV/AIDS epidemic began, people with AIDS were not likely to live longer than a few years. With the development of safe and effective drugs, however, people infected with HIV now have longer and healthier lives.
HIV is one member of the group of viruses known as retroviruses. Retroviruses are unique in that they reproduce by transcribing themselves into DNA. Reverse transcriptase, an enzyme within a retrovi rus, enables the retrovirus’ RNA to perform as a template of sorts for the transcription process. As HIV reproduces itself, variants of the virus emerge, including some that are resistant to antiretroviral drugs. Therefore, doctors recommend that people infected with HIV take a combination of antiretroviral drugs known as highly active antiretroviral therapy, or HAART. Moreover, the monetary cost of HAART is deterrent for many individuals and countries. In terms of cost, 95% of the HIVpositive individuals in the world don’t have access to the therapy as a direct consequence of the cost of therapy. The prevalent endeavors by different cause oriented organizations, which also pave the way for the emergence of generic manufacturers and direct talks with pharmaceutical companies to make HIV medications affordable to everyone by lowering its prevailing price.
Antiretroviral drugs can slow down or even reverse the progress of HIV infections as it also plays an important role in the prevention as well. Howe ver, only few of the eight million people who are HIV positive in developing countries have access to the treatment.
Nevertheless, access to HIV/AIDS treatment had increased significantly in the end of 2003. When generic products become available, the market competition often leads to substantially lower prices for both the original brand name product and the generic forms. The time it takes a generic drug to appear on the market varies. In the US, drug patents give twenty years of protection, but they are applied for before clinical trials begin, so the effective life of a drug patent tends to be between seven and twelve years. The principal reason for the relatively low price of generic medicines is the brewing competition among manufactures when drugs patents have expired. Companies incur fewer costs in creating the generic drug, and are therefore able to maintain profitability at a lower cost to consumers. HIV generic medicines is as effective as the brand-name drugs as the Food and Drugs Administration applies the same standard for all drug manufacturing facilities.
Generic antiretrovirals are now commonly used to treat HIV/AIDS in the developing world. They have been integrated into manytreatment programmes including PEPFAR – the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. PEPFAR, the single greatest supporter of treatment provision for AIDS in the developing world, began to distribute generic drugs through its programmes in 2004-5. In 2007, generics accounted for 57% of the $131 million PEPFAR spent on anti-AIDS drugs. Generic HIV medication has played a vital role in the distribution of HIV treatment in the developing world and in its prevention. Hence, generic drugs affordability and accessibility to the developing countries cannot be underestimated. Let me quote Stephen Lewis, former UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, said: ‘…we wouldn’t have this extraordinary run of treatment in Africa now if it weren’t for the generic drugs.’