HIV fund says 100,000 more children to receive cheap drugs
GENEVA—A U.N.-backed fund says it is on target to provide treatment to 250,000 children with HIV/AIDS by the end of the year.
Geneva-based UNITAID says this is an increase of about 100,000 compared to 2007. The organization supplies low-cost drugs to the developing world.
The fund said in a statement Monday that the increase is the result of pharmaceutical companies agreeing to lower prices and provide new drug combinations to treat more difficult forms of AIDS.
UNITAID receives money from a tax imposed by some countries on airline tickets. It also cooperates with a charitable foundation set up by former U.S. President Bill Clinton.
The World Health Organization estimates that 2.1 million people die from AIDS-related illnesses each year.
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