Officials from 11 Latin American countries on Friday reached an agreement with 26 pharmaceutical companies to secure discounts of up to 66% on antiretroviral drugs, the Inter Press Service reports. The price agreement, which initially will be in place for two years, allows the countries to provide HIV-positive residents with universal access to antiretrovirals. The countries participating in the agreement include Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, Paraguay and Uruguay (Valente, Inter Press Service, 8/8). Drug companies involved in the negotiations include Abbott Laboratories, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Roche and Bayer (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 8/5). The discounts range from 15% to 66%, depending on the medicine. The cost of antiretrovirals will be reduced by an average of 45% in Bolivia, 48% in Uruguay, 52% Ecuador, 56% in Chile and 66% in Paraguay. Approximately 1.5 million HIV-positive people live in Latin America and 385,000 of them are in need of antiretroviral treatment; however, only 275,000 HIV-positive people currently have access to treatment, according to the Pan American Health Organization (Inter Press Service, 8/8).

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