[Ip-health] Voice of America: New Report Raises Concerns Over Price of New AIDS Drugs

[Sheila.SHETTLE@geneva.msf.org]

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|New Report Raises Concerns Over Price of New AIDS Drugs              |=0D
|By Joe De Capua                                                      |=0D
|Washington                                                           |=0D
|23 July 2007                                                         |=0D
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The humanitarian group =E2=80=93 Doctors Without Borders =E2=80=93 has rele=
ased a new=0D
report on prices of AIDS drugs. It says while there have been dramatic=0D
price reductions for some older medicines, newer, less toxic drugs may cost=
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significantly more. The report was released Monday at the 4th International=
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AIDS Society Conference in Sydney, Australia.=0D
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The report - entitled =E2=80=9CUntangling the Web of Price Reductions=E2=80=
=9D =E2=80=93 looks at=0D
the cost of first-line and second-line antiretroviral drugs. First-line=0D
drugs are the initial combination of medicines given to someone with HIV,=
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the AIDS virus. Second-line drugs are prescribed when the first drug=0D
cocktail loses its effectiveness.=0D
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Karen Day is a pharmacist with Doctors Without Borders=E2=80=99 Campaign fo=
r Access=0D
to Essential Medicines. She says the report can help countries make=0D
informed decisions when buying the medicine.=0D
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=E2=80=9CThere were two main points that came out this year. Well, two most=
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significant changes in these last 12 months is that the second line prices=
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are finally starting to move and come down. And then in the first-line=0D
regime =E2=80=93 well, the good news of the first-line is it=E2=80=99s now =
available under=0D
$100 per year. On the flip side of that, though, is as WHO (World Health=0D
Organization) has recommended moving away from this regime to a less toxic=
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one it looks like we=E2=80=99re putting back the prices of the first-line r=
egime to=0D
almost $400 or $500 (per year), which is putting us back about six years,=
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she says.=0D
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Years of negotiations, legal battles and lobbying have brought the cost of=
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current first-line medications below $100 a year in developing countries..=
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=E2=80=9CThe current first line that=E2=80=99s used today predominantly in =
developing=0D
countries is a combination of three drugs - Lamivudine, Stevudine and=0D
Nevirapine. And it=E2=80=99s three tablets in one pill. So it=E2=80=99s a f=
ixed-dose=0D
combination,=E2=80=9D she says.=0D
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Day says that the price of the first-line combo is rising because the World=
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Health Organization has recommended replacing Stevudine with Tonofovir,=0D
which has fewer side effects. But before the price of newer drugs can come=
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down, and before they=E2=80=99re readily available in developing countries,=
 issues=0D
such as patents, generic copies and availability must be resolved first.=0D
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The good news in the Doctors Without Borders report is that prices for=0D
second-line medicines are down sharply. One reason is that is they have=0D
been standardized and simplified by the WHO. Another is the effect of a=0D
compulsory license issued by Thailand in January. In certain situations,=0D
trade agreements allow a country to issue a compulsory license, which=0D
allows it to legally import or manufacture an AIDS drug locally. In effect,=
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it bypasses some of the patent regulations.=0D
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=E2=80=9CMore competition. That=E2=80=99s the best way we=E2=80=99ve seen t=
o get prices coming=0D
down. With multiple producers, it=E2=80=99s the best way to bring on the=0D
competition,=E2=80=9D she says.=0D
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Doctors Without Borders says, =E2=80=9CSignificant delays persist between w=
hen=0D
newer treatments become available in wealthy countries and when they become=
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available in the developing world.=E2=80=9D=0D
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+++++++++++++++++++++=0D
Sheila Shettle=0D
Senior Communications Officer=0D
M=C3=A9decins Sans Fronti=C3=A8res=0D
Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines=0D
Rue de Lausanne 78=0D
1211 Geneva, Switzerland=0D
+ 41.22.849.8403=0D
+ 41.79.293.0270 (m.)=0D
www.accessmed-msf.org=0D
+++++++++++++++++++++++=0D
SIGN MSF'S 'DROP THE CASE' PETITION=0D
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Millions of people around the world today rely on affordable medicines=0D
produced in India.  Pharmaceutical company Novartis is taking the Indian=0D
government to court to force a change in the country's patent law.  If=0D
Novartis wins, a major source of affordable medicines for millions of=0D
people across the globe could dry up.=0D
=0D
MSF is urging Novartis to DROP THE CASE.=0D
=0D
Find out more and sign up to our petition:=0D
http://www.msf.org/petition_india/international.html=0D
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