Oct. 27th,2000 (PTI) - China was the third country after the United States and Spain to produce the anti-AIDS drug Stavudine. It has now developed a cheaper version of the same drug which will cost two-thirds the US market price of the drug. A Chinese news agency reported that a lot of companies had already placed huge orders for the drug. The drug before being released, was tested on 1,000 patients who were HIV-positive and had developed symptoms of AIDS. The drug in combination with an enzyme (a substance that regulates chemical reactions in the body), claims to reduce the death rate of these patients by two-thirds. It is currently under production for export purposes.