The HIV/AIDs pandemic continues to ravage the population of the less developed world. Nearly 80 percent of developing countries lack the capacity to produce anti–retroviral drugs and the money to pay the full costs of importing patented drugs.

a. Is there a duty to aid the people in these nations? If so, who owes the duty and what should they do?

b. One solution would be for an industrialized country to amend its patent laws to allow the production of generics solely for export to countries in need. These cheaper drugs would not be sold in the country where they were made. Who would be the stakeholders if the United States were to consider such a change in its laws?

How would each of them respond?