Central Americans with HIV/AIDS and other chronic conditions are voicing concerns that if the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) is approved this year, protections provided under the pact to American pharmaceutical companies will drive up the costs of treating those illnesses. Under CAFTA, companies would enjoy intellectual property protections on the development of new drugs driving the costs of those drugs up. The prospect of less affordable medication has added to the opposition of CAFTA in Central America.
See "AIDS Patients See Life, Death Issues in Trade Pact", Marla Dickerson and Evelyn Iritani, Los Angeles Times, April 21, 2005