1.   But unlike the tuberculosis drugs, the AIDS drugs are newer and in many countries have patents that protect them from generic competition.

2.   For example, recently a group of teen-agers spent several days at the hospital for a study to determine the proper dosage for a tuberculosis drug.

3.   Its goal is to discover a new tuberculosis drug by the end of the decade.

4.   The group said only one new tuberculosis drug was brought to market in the last five years.

5.   The World Health Organization uses such a system to purchase tuberculosis drugs.

6.   The doctor, Abdulkadir Elmi Jumale, said most of the patients were unemployed people who could not afford to pay for expensive tuberculosis drugs.