New Delhi: On a visit to pharmaceutical giant Ranbaxy Research Laboratories, former US President Bill Clinton today (Nov 21) indicated that anti-AIDS medicines may become cheaper for the Indian patients.

In new Delhi as a representative of his William Jefferson Clinton Foundation, Clinton told reporters that he has had discussions with Indian officials on the subject and he would also be taking it up with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Clinton Foundation had signed an agreement with three generic drug manufacturers from India - Cipla, Ranbaxy and Matrix Laboratories - and one from South Africa – Aspen Pharmacare - last month that would reduce the cost of commonly used triple drug regimen for AIDS by about one-third to about 36-38 cents per person per day for distribution in some African and Caribbean countries.

There was high level of interest in India towards curtailing AIDS, he said.

Indian Government has already formed a working group that also includes members of industry to chart out a similar strategy to reduce the drug prices in India.

The former US President said that providing medicines should be seen as an important part of preventive strategy for HIV/AIDS.

"Without treatment you cannot get young people to come in and get tested," Clinton said, adding the drugs to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV can save the lives of scores of children.

Under the agreement, these drugs would be provided in nine Caribbean and four African countries. About two million people would be under treatment through this agreement, he said.

Clinton said that the agreement indicated a "giant leap" towards humanitarianism on part of these companies. They were shifting from higher profit, low volume business to less profit per treatment and higher volume business, he said.

The former US president said that it was important to give these companies privileges as they convinced the world that treatment was an affordable and viable option.

PTI