Anglo American to pay for AIDS drugs

Anglo American says it will pay for antiretroviral drugs for employees suffering from HIV/AIDS.

The program could cost as much as R16.8 million (US$1.6 million) in the first year. In addition to extending the lives of infected employees, the initiative is designed to contain AIDS-related costs, such as absenteeism and medical expenses.

Meanwhile, Anglo American is in negotiations with pharmaceutical companies to buy anti-AIDS drugs at lower prices. The company will seek to offset program costs with financial assistance from the South African government, the World Bank and the United Nations.

In a release, the company states: “It is accepted internationally that the magnitude of the health challenge posed by HIV/AIDS, especially in southern Africa, is such that it cannot be adequately addressed by individual companies or even sectors acting in isolation but requires a partnership [among] all stakeholders.”

In the 1990s, Anglo American developed a program that covered both prevention and care of employees suffering from HIV/AIDS, and was awarded for its work.