[Ip-health] Glaxo reduces price of AZT & 3TC

[richardl@bu.edu]

Why are they cutting the prices only to public, NGO and employer based
providers? Do they think that private patients can afford these higher
charges? This is a recipe for leakage from the public to the private sector.
This also would be an incentive for private patients to overload the public
sector facilities. Or could it be that GSK realizes that uptake may be slow
in these sectors while in the private sector uptake might be high especially
in South Africa.

I thought that after the Pfizer fluconazole experience in South Africa,
companies would have learned that it makes sense to have simple pricing
sytems which would mean that a single price per country would be offered.

Richard Laing                                              Tel          617
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Associate Professor                                     Fax        617
638-4476
Department of International Health                 E-mail
richardl@bu.edu <mailto:richardl@bu.edu>
Boston University School of Public Health      Web
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