Editor—Mudur has described how changes to India's patent laws will reduce the availability of anti-HIV drugs to the developing world.1 I think that the negative impact of this change will be much greater than just a reduction in the proportion of infected patients receiving drug treatment.
Given the stigma in India of having an HIV positive family member, there is already some reluctance to establish the diagnosis. If antiretroviral treatment becomes completely unaffordable no incentive will be left to get tested for the virus. This will hamper measures being taken to prevent the spread of HIV and may further increase the global burden of disease.
Competing interests: None declared.
References
- 1.Mudur G. Changes to India's patent law may deny cheap drugs to millions. BMJ 2005;330: 692. (26 March.) [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]