Want to hinder the supply of low-cost, accessible AIDS/HIV meds to poor countries? One way is to continue to implement free-trade agreements between India, which is an increasingly important supplier of these meds, and the European Union, according to a new report co-authored by an official from UNITAID, the United Nations relief organization that supplies the drugs to such nations.

How so? Trade talks currently taking place between India and the European Union include proposals that could delay or restrict Indian generic drug makers by extending patent terms for brand-name meds, requiring data exclusivity and imposing tighter rules on enforcing borders. The report, which appears in the Journal of the International AIDS Society, suggests prices could rise and access delayed to improved meds, and recommends that that “inappropriate” trade deals should not be pursued unless new policies are created.

The report notes that Indian generic makers dominate the market, accounting for more than 80 percent of annual purchases. And from 2003 to 2008, the number of Indian generic makers supplying the meds rose from four to 10 while the number of Indian-made products increased from 14 to 53. Meanwhile 96 of 100 countries purchased Indian generic AIDS in 2008. Moreover, the report contends Indian-made generics are “consistently and considerably” cheaper than rival meds, while needed meds that are newly recommended by the World Health Organization are three to four times more expensive.

“The findings of this study raise grave concerns for us because UNITAID relies heavily on Indian generic manufacturers to supply quality-assured, patient-friendly, low cost AIDS medicines in over 50 countries,” says Jorge Bermudez, UNITAID’s executive secretary, in a statement, adding that existing world trade agreements have already begun to curtail access to AIDS meds in poor countries. “If Indian manufacturers cannot meet these demands, a lot of the progress we have made in the last seven years will be reversed.”