Abstract:

Harvard University, accused of a 5-month delay in providing antiretroviral drugs to several thousand Nigerians due to legal concerns, has said its Nigerian treatment programme is set to achieve all its targets. “We are well on track to meet all of our targets in Nigeria”, John Longbrake, a spokesperson for Harvard University claimed. He said that around 8000 people with HIV/AIDS in the country have already been under the treatment of Harvard’s programme and the number was increasing rapidly. “We expect that number to be 16 000 by March 2006”, he said. Last year in February, Harvard School of Public Health was awarded a 5-year, $107 million grant as part of the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to swiftly provide antiretroviral therapy to HIV-infected people in Nigeria, as well as in Tanzania and Botswana. Of this funding, $17 million was allocated for 2004 for the three countries. But the Nigerian project experienced delays in its commencement, mainly because Harvard University President Lawrence Summers believed the programme could be a legal risk for his institution, according to a report published in the Boston Globe last month. (excerpt)