Clinton said donor nations must give more money to the Geneva-based Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, so that the health infrastructure in the poor countries can be improved to handle the epidemic.

Although the United States has pledged to donate more money to fight AIDS than any other nation, U.S. policies often forbid using those funds to purchase low-cost generic drugs from companies in India and Brazil.

This, in turn, has slowed efforts by aid groups to fight the epidemic in poor countries, where some 6.2 million AIDS patients cannot afford expensive drugs patented by Western firms.

"We need greater flexibility in the money that the U.S. has appropriated," Clinton told a meeting of business leaders in New Delhi. "American companies have been too harsh," about pressuring the U.S. government to restrict the use of those funds.

Low-Cost Generic Drugs

Clinton, who has made the battle against AIDS a focus of his post-presidential life, said he had recently discussed the issue with U.S. President George W. Bush.

His comments came in response to questions on how the world can ensure universal access to medicines to fight the disease.

Clinton said the number of AIDS patients receiving treatment in the developing world has jumped to 700,000 from 200,000 three years ago largely because of the availability of low-cost generic drugs from India and Brazil. Clinton's foundation has been supplying such medicines to victims in Africa and elsewhere.

Clinton also acknowledged that India's new patent law, which prevents companies here from copying any new lines of drugs from Western companies, could hurt efforts to expedite universal access to AIDS medicines. When asked if he could intervene to persuade American drug manufacturers to grant licenses to Indian companies to make generic equivalents he said: "I will do the very best I can."

Stabilizing the Epidemic

He said donor nations must give more money to the Geneva-based Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, so that the health infrastructure in the poor countries can be improved to handle the epidemic.

He also announced that his Clinton Foundation will help India train 150,000 doctors over the next year to treat patients with AIDS.

With 5.13 million cases, India has the second largest number of people infected with HIV after South Africa, and many fear ignorance and the stigma attached to the disease could push India into the top slot over the next few years.

But the Indian government claims its anti-AIDS campaign has been successful in stabilizing the epidemic and that there has been a sharp decline in the number of new HIV cases.

Clinton praised India for its battle against AIDS, but warned that the country can't afford to slack off in its efforts.

"You will move from being the world's number one worry to being the number one model if you follow through the plans you have," he said.