[Ip-health] AHF press release on CL requests for Kaletra in Colombia and Mexico
peter maybarduk
peter.maybarduk@essentialinformation.org
Wed Jan 28 16:54:01 2009
A point of clarification concerning the headline below. Colombian
civil society groups have already filed requests for open licenses on
Kaletra (LPV/r), as correctly noted near the end of the press
release. The Colombian Mesa de Organizaciones con trabajo en VIH/
SIDA and RECOLVIH requested an open license from Abbott on April 7,
2008. When Abbott did not respond, the groups filed a compulsory
license request with the Colombian government (July 16, 2008), which
is still under consideration. That is to say, in Colombia, a
compulsory license request is already underway, independent of AHF's
(or any other) demands for voluntary discounts.
It is worth noting that, even if Abbott agrees to reduce prices:
1) A discount is unlikely to compete with the lowest available
generic prices Colombia could access through a compulsory license.
Generic LPV/r is already available in the region at prices well under
$800 and could reach $550 this year. Abbott would have to cut its
current price by about 80% (maybe more) to offer comparable benefits;
2) A discount would not offer the benefits of further price
competition and greater savings over time created by a compulsory
license, nor offer the potential health security benefits created by
counting on multiple providers, including domestic firms, in the
marketplace.
The argument for granting a compulsory license even if Abbott makes
price concessions is strong.
More information is available at <http://www.essentialaction.org/
access/> (see the August 7 Access to Medicines bulletin).
Peter Maybarduk for Essential Action in Bogot=E1
On Jan 27, 2009, at 8:54 PM, James Love wrote:
> I saw this on the business wire.... jamie
>
> -----------------
> Abbott Drug Pricing Condemned by AIDS Advocates in International
> Protests
>
> In Coordinated Actions Wednesday, Protesters in Mexico, Colombia
> and the
> US Demand that Abbott Lowers the Price of Its Key AIDS Drug Kaletra;
> Advocates Otherwise Vow to Seek Compulsory Licenses in Colombia and
> Mexico
>
> Last update: 8:33 p.m. EST Jan. 27, 2009
>
> CHICAGO, Jan 27, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- --In US, AHF to Also Premiere
> 60 Second Video Parody Blasting Abbott and CEO Miles White on YouTube
> and Place Spot as TV Commercial on Select Chicago Area Television
> Stations
>
> As part of an ongoing multinational campaign to lower drug prices and
> improve access to lifesaving AIDS treatments globally, AIDS advocates
> from three countries--Colombia, Mexico and the United States--are
> holding simultaneous protests today in each of the three countries
> targeting Chicago-based pharmaceutical giant Abbott Laboratories over
> the pricing of its AIDS drug, Kaletra, which can be a key component of
> lifesaving AIDS drug treatment regimens, particularly as part of what
> are known as 'second-line' treatments and salvage therapy.
>
> Abbott Protest Schedules/Locations--US
>
> -- UNITED STATES--Chicago
>
> WHAT: Protest re: Abbott's AIDS Drug Pricing of Kaletra
> WHEN: Wednesday, Jan 28, 2009 at 10:00 a.m.
> WHERE: in front of the home of
> Abbott CEO Miles D. White
> 1313 North Green Bay Road
> Lake Forest IL 60045
> VISUALS: 3ft x 5ft "Shame on Abbott" placards & banners; also,
> release of TV commercial/video parody of Abbott and its
> CEO
> Miles
> White
>
>
> POST-PROTEST Press Conference & Teleconference Call-- CHICAGO
>
> What: Follow Up POST-PROTEST Press Teleconference Call--
> Multinational Protests re: Abbott Laboratories' AIDS Drug
> Pricing,
> Release of Parody Video
> Where: Hotel Allegro, Cinema Room #1 (3rd Floor) 171
> W Randolph St, Chicago IL 60601
> When: 1:00 PM (Central & Mexico Time, 2:00 pm Colombia
> time)--Wednesday, January 28th
> How: Teleconference Dial in information
> US Callers
> +1.877.411.9748 participant code #7931503
> International Toll Callers
> +.1.636.651.3128 participant code #7931503
>
> Advocates from AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the group
> coordinating
> the US protest in the Chicago area (which is being supported by local
> student activists who have been involved in the AIDS drug pricing
> issue)
> will also release a sixty second video parody lambasting Abbott and
> its
> CEO, Miles D. White over the drug giant's continuing coldhearted
> actions
> on the pricing of its key AIDS drugs. The video parody will premiere
> publicly for the first time when it is posted on YouTube Wednesday in
> conjunction with the coordinated international protests in the three
> countries. The spot will then also run as a paid television commercial
> on select Chicago area television stations. Link to a preview of the
> video parody: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D6cJXSKIDcNU
>
> "People may not be aware that Abbott is abusing NAFTA's patent
> protections to charge five times as much for Kaletra in Mexico as it
> does in other middle-income countries, keeping this lifesaving drug
> out
> of reach for nearly all those living with HIV/AIDS in Mexico," said
> Michael Weinstein, AIDS Healthcare Foundation President. "We hope
> these
> simultaneous international protests in Mexico, Colombia and the US
> will
> help bring about an end to Abbott's price-gouging policies in
> Mexico and
> Colombia that shamefully continue to place profits ahead of saving
> lives."
>
> "Many patients living here in Mexico depend on access to drugs such as
> Kaletra that are available elsewhere at a much, much lower cost," said
> Patricia Campos, M.D., AIDS Healthcare Foundation's Latin America
> Bureau
> Chief, who is based in Mexico and is a principal coordinator of
> today's
> Abbott protest in Mexico City. "We are strongly urging Abbott to
> immediately lower the price of Kaletra in Mexico to equal the price
> offered to Brazil in order to ensure that people in need in Mexico are
> not priced out of such potential lifesaving AIDS treatments."
>
> "Through these coordinated, grassroots international protests
> today, we
> want to loudly and clearly remind Abbott, its employees and the
> general
> public that the lives of people living with--and dying from--HIV/
> AIDS in
> Mexico and Colombia are just as important as those of people living
> with
> AIDS here in the United States. As a result, we are asking Abbott to
> reduce the price of Kaletra in those two countries," said Terri Ford,
> Director of Global Advocacy for AIDS Healthcare Foundation. "We
> literally want to bring this message home to Abbott and its
> executives.
> That is why our Chicago protest is taking place in front of the Lake
> Forest home of Abbott CEO Miles D. White."
> Abbott has long been the target of multinational protests and legal
> actions over the pricing of its AIDS drugs including Kaletra and
> Norvir.
> Over the past several years as many of Abbott's industry peers have
> significantly lowered the prices of their own lifesaving AIDS
> medicines
> on their own volition and in response to worldwide humanitarian need,
> Abbott has remained steadfast in its refusal to do so, or it has
> countered advocates' and governments' demands with only modest price
> reductions.
> According to the website, www.aidsmeds.com, "Kaletra, a protease
> inhibitor (sold under the brand name Aluvia in some parts of the
> world),
> is actually two drugs combined into a single capsule: lopinavir and
> low
> doses of ritonavir (Norvir), another protease inhibitor
> manufactured by
> Abbott Laboratories. This is because ritonavir increases the amount of
> lopinavir in the blood, thus making it more effective against HIV."
> Abbott Laboratories and Kaletra
> -- Abbott's Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir) is considered to be the
> premier second-line treatment for HIV worldwide due not only to its
> efficacy and low side-effects but also its reduced pill burden. Due to
> its high price (typically four to six times more than other
> treatments)
> it is not been widely included in national treatments programs and
> those
> who developed resistance to other treatments in these countries
> have had
> few options.
> -- Worldwide sales of Kaletra in 2006 alone were over $1 Billion,(1)
> while projections estimate the market for HIV Drugs to reach $10
> Billion
> by 2015.
> -- Abbott charges $1,000 per patient per year for Kaletra in most
> middle-income countries and $500 per patient per year in low-income
> nations.(2) Generic lopinivar/ritonavir costs $600 per patient per
> year.(3) In Mexico and Colombia, Abbott charges $5,400 and $3,500 per
> patient per year, respectively. On January 28, 2009, activists in
> Mexico, Colombia, and the United States will petition Abbott to lower
> these prices and the respective governments to break the patents
> country
> so that the medicine is available to all who need it. 21,000 people
> per
> year die of AIDS in the two countries.
> Kaletra in Mexico
> -- Mexico is a middle income country with an average income per capita
> of $7,454 per year.(4) 200,000 people are living with AIDS. HIV
> prevalence is 0.3% and 11,000 people die each year die from AIDS in
> the
> country.(5)
> -- Mexico is unable to provide antiretroviral therapy to those who
> need
> it. UNAIDS estimates that 33,000 people with AIDS who need ARV therapy
> now (43% of the total), are not currently accessing it in Mexico.(6)
> Mexico's government is spending $155 million each year for AIDS
> drugs.(7)
> -- Abbott charges Mexico an exorbitant $5,400 per patient per year,
> the
> same price it charged in 2003.(8) This over 5x the $1,000 per patient
> per year which it charges in other countries in Latin America
> (Including
> Brazil, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Peru, and Ecuador) and over
> 10x the price it charges in Africa, Haiti, and Cambodia.(9)
> -- In contrast, ALL other drug companies have offered significant
> price
> reductions on their medications. Advocacy and negotiations between the
> Mexican Government and the major pharmaceutical companies resulted in
> significant drops in price in 2008 alone. For instance,
> GlaxoSmithKline
> accepted a 40% price reduction for Abacavir while Merck, Sharpe, and
> Dohme accepted a 40% price reduction for Efavirenz.(10)
> -- The Mexican Coalicion de Activistas por el Aceso Universal en
> VIH/SIDA demands that Abbott reduce its prices and the Mexican
> Government to issue a compulsory license for Kaletra.
> Kaletra in Colombia
> -- Colombia is a lower-middle income country with an average income
> per
> capita of $2,600 per year.(11) The country has one of the most serious
> HIV/AIDS problems in the region: 170,000 people living with AIDS and a
> rapidly rising HIV prevalence (currently 0.7%).(12) An average of
> 10,000
> people each year die from AIDS in the country.(13)
> -- Colombia is unable to provide antiretroviral therapy to those who
> need it. UNAIDS estimates that 33,000 people with AIDS who need ARV
> therapy now (62% of the total) are not currently accessing it.(14)
> Colombia's government is spending $70 million each year for AIDS drugs
> (all national funding).(15)
> -- Abbott promotes Colombia as receiving a preferred price of
> $1,000 per
> patient per year for lower-middle income countries on its website.(16)
> However, in reality Abbott charged Colombia $8,400 per patient per
> year
> up through mid-2007.(17) (18) Abbott is currently charging $3,500 in
> Colombia.(19)
> -- Abbott uses unorthodox and unethical marketing strategies in
> Colombia
> to promote Kaletra. This includes offering classes, dinners, and trips
> to patients on Kaletra.(20) As a result, Kaletra is the 2nd-most
> widely
> prescribed AIDS medicine in Colombia, highly unusual for a 2nd-line
> medication. Kaletra accounts for 1/3 of Colombia's AIDS drug costs.
> (21)
> -- On April 7, 2008, the Mesa de Organizacions con Trabajo en VIH/SIDA
> and the Red Colombiana de Personas Viviendo con VIH o con SIDA
> requested
> an open license on Kaletra. The local Colombian generics industry has
> the capacity to manufacture Kaletra at much lower costs AND
> Colombia has
> an agreement with the Clinton Foundation through which it could get a
> generic version of Kaletra for approximately $600 per patient per
> year.(22) Abbott did not respond.
> -- The Mesa de Organizaciones con Trabajo en VIH/SIDA, the Red
> Colombiana de Personas Viviendo con VIH o con SIDA, Mission Salud, and
> IFARMA requested a compulsory license for Kaletra from the Ministry of
> Commerce. The Ministry of Commerce has requested the Ministry of
> Social
> Protection to rule whether or not Kaletra is a medication "in the
> public
> interest." The ruling is expected in early 2009.
> Abbott Protest Schedules/Locations--Mexico & Colombia
> -- MEXICO--Mexico City
> Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2009 at 11 a.m.
> Further data to follow in subsequent news release.
> INFORMATION: 55 16 83 25 01 and 55 14 79 61 85
> email: coalicion.activistas@gmail.com
> -- COLOMBIA--Bogota
> Protest Against Abbott Laboratories de Colombia S.A.
> Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2009 at 10 a.m.
> Abbott de Colombia, S.A.
> Calle 100 #9A-45, 14th Floor, Bogota, Colombia (NOTE: Protest will
> be in
> the street, not in the building)
> Contacts:
>
> SPANISH LANGUAGE
> Luz Marina Umbral at +57 55 315 323 5765
> licencia.obligatoria.colombia@gmail.com
> ENGLISH/SPANISH
> Francisco Rossi, PhD at +57 52 338 1490
> Clint Trout +57 318 755 8861
>
>
> (1) From Abbott's fourth quarter 2006 financial reporting.
> (2)
> http://www.abbott.com/global/url/content/en_US/40.5.10:10/
> general_content/General_Content_00327.htm
> (3) Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative. www.clintonfoundation.org
> (4) United Nations Development Program ( www.undp.org)
> (5) UNAIDS
> http://www.unaids.org/en/CountryResponses/Countries/default.asp
> (6) World Health Organization (April 2008). Universal Access Report.
> (7) 2008 UNGASS Report, Mexico.
> (8) http://www.censida.salud.gob.mx/interior/arv.html
> (9)
> http://www.abbott.com/global/url/content/en_US/40.5.10:10/
> general_content/General_Content_00327.htm
> (10) Mino F. (December 8, 2008). Medicamentos: El muro de los
> precios y
> las recetas para brincarlo. La Jornada. Mexico.
> (11) United Nations Development Program ( www.undp.org)
> (12) Resumen de Situacion de la Epidemia por VIH/SIDA en Colombia.
> (Dec
> 2007) Ministerio de Proteccion Social, Colombia.
> (13) UNAIDS
> http://www.unaids.org/en/CountryResponses/Countries/default.asp
> (14) World Health Organization (April 2008). Universal Access Report.
> (15) 2008 UNGASS Report, Colombia.
> (16)
> http://www.abbott.com/global/url/content/en_US/40.5.10:10/
> general_content/General_Content_00327.htm
> (17) Garavito, L, Gomez, F. (2006) Analisis regulatorio del mercardo
> institucional de medicamentos antiretrovirales en Colombia.
> (18) Personal Communication with Abbott Laboratories in Colombia.
> (19) Local price survey.
> (20) AHF can provide 1st hand accounts on request.
> (21) Garavito, L, Gomez, F. (2006) Analisis regulatorio del mercardo
> institucional de medicamentos antiretrovirales en Colombia.
> \(22) Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative. www.clintonfoundation.org
> SOURCE: AIDS Healthcare Foundation
>
> Mexico:
> AIDS Healthcare Foundation
> Dra. Patricia Campos Lopez
> Chief Latin American Bureau
> Guadalajara, MEXICO
> MX direct 01152 33 35 85 31 17
> U.S. mobile 1213-361-2524
> MX mobile 01152 33 34 82 92 07
> patricia.campos@aidshealth.org
> or
> Colombia:
> Clint Trout
> Candidate for Doctor of Public Health
> Boston University
> Colombia Mobile +57 318 755 8861
> ctrout@bu.edu
> or
> United States:
> AIDS Healthcare Foundation
> Ged Kenslea
> Communications Director
> Los Angeles, CA, USA
> +1.323.860.5225 (work)
> +1.323.791.5526 (mobile)
> gedk@aidshealth.org
>
> --
> James Love, Director, Knowledge Ecology International
> http://www.keionline.org | mailto:james.love at keionline.org
> Wk: +1.202.332.2671 | US Mobile +1.202.361.3040 | Geneva Mobile
> +41.76.413.6584
>
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