Updated Short Statement on BMS, 10 May, 2001 On 14 March Bristol-Myers Squibb stated that the combined price of ddI and d4T would be reduced to US$1 per day (approximately R8). Yet in the South African private sector, the only place in this country where these medicines are available on a meaningful scale, this price reduction has not been implemented. While BMS have made the price reduction available to the state and NGOs, the South African government currently has neither the financial means nor the political will to distribute these anti-retroviral medicines. There are no NGOs with the capacity to distribute anti-retroviral therapy on a significant scale. It has been almost two months since the price reduction was announced, and the private sector price has not changed. Many thousands of South Africans on medical schemes could benefit immediately from this price reduction, which will bring down the cost of highly active anti-retroviral therapy to less than R1000 per month. Ms Azima Batcha, the manager of BMS's HIV/AIDS unit, stated during a TAC protest against her company on Tuesday that "within days" the offer would be extended to the private sector -- amidst a range of unacceptable excuses for the delay. Our response is that BMS must stop the delays and excuses. They shouldn't promise price reductions until they are certain they can implement them immediately. We will continue protesting against BMS until ddI and d4T are available at a combined price of $1 per day in the private sector.