The USA has just done a deal to get its Cipro from Bayer for one dollar a tablet instead of the usual five. I guess that's the kind of deal you can strike if you're rich.

Meanwhile, within the same 24 hours, the USA administration has been working to ensure that the WTO next month protects the pharmaceutical giants from pressure to reduce their prices for drugs that could transform the quality of life for millions in sub-saharan Africa.

At present, according to UN figures, about 37,000 people die in Africa every day from diseases such as sleeping sickness, malaria, TB and of course AIDS. This translates into life expectancy in some African states of less than 49 years.

As things stand, impoverished nations simply cannot afford the drugs that could eradicate most of this misery.