BANNED AIDS.(Africans can't affords AIDS drugs)(Brief Article)

Who cares about Africa's AIDS epidemic? Not the drugs companies -- there's no money in it.

Twenty-five million African people are infected with AIDS. Fewer than 25,000 -- one-tenth of 1 per cent -- receive therapy that could avert or slow their deaths. If this scenario continues, African life expectancy over the coming decade will actually drop below 30 years, and the number of AIDS deaths in Africa could hit 60 million.

The global AIDS division -- rich victims live, poor ones die -- apparently disturbed the five major pharmaceutical companies so much that last May they pledged to help.

Merck, Hoffmann-La Roche, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Glaxo Wellcome …