A group of economists and organizations, spurred by Professor Alan Whitesite, has launched the "Free by 5" initiative calling for the free provision of ARVs to any patient that can't afford to pay. Making their arguments on both humanitarian and pragmatic grounds, the economists urge both policymakers and funders to recast the current "3 by 5" program to a free variant. A description of the initiative is downloadable as a PDF document. Fuller details and a petition are available at the University of Kwazulu-Natal.

PEPFAR has previously announced a drug procurement and distribution program worth up to $7 billion. While proposals were initially scheduled to be submitted October 15th, the due date was changed to "indefinite" (amendment 2) -- with no further news as to when or if the program will proceed.

It is not surprising that a large contract faces delays. What is surprising is that, despite USAID officials' interest in transparency, there is little to be learned in the news or online about the program. This is after all the world's largest AIDS program to date. It has significant implications for AIDS programs and planning everywhere. PEPFAR could assist by providing more information about all of its efforts.