Does the political will exist to bring quality-assured and affordable drugs to low- and middle-income countries?

ABSTRACTBackground: Increased coverage with antiretroviral therapy for people living with HIV in low- and middle-income countries has increased their life expectancy associated with non-HIV comorbidities and the need for quality-assured and affordable non-communicable diseases drugs . Funders are leaving many middle-income countries that will have to pay and provide quality-assured and affordable HIV and non-HIV drugs, including for non-communicable diseases.Objective: To estimate costs for originator and generic antiretroviral therapy as the number of people living with HIV are projected to increase between 2016 and 2026, and discuss country, regional and global factors associated with increased access to generic drugs.Methods: Based on estimates of annual demand and prices, annual cost estimates were produced for generic and originator antiretroviral drug prices in low- and middle-income countries and projected for 2016–2026.Results: Drug costs varied between US$1.5 billion and US$4.8 billion for generi...