[Pharm-policy] No Free Flucanazole for Central America' says Pfizer

[James Love]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 14:34:32 MET DST
From: TREATMENT-ACCESS - Agua Buena <rastern@sol.racsa.co.cr>
Reply-To: treatment-access@hivnet.ch
To: Treatment-access <treatment-access@hivnet.ch>
Subject: [780] 'No Free  Flucanazole for Central America' says Pfizer [743]

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'No Free  Flucanazole for Central America' says Pfizer
- News from Agua Buena

(13 April, 2000) In response to a letter sent by Richard Stern of the
Agua Buena Human Rights in Association, Sylvia Varela, General Manager
of Pfizer for Central America has indicated that Pfizer will not be
donating Fluconazole or lowering its prices in Central America.

In a letter dated April 4th, Stern had petitioned Varela to follow the
lead of Pfizer in South Africa and make available Fluconazole free of
charge for those Central Americans who have no health care coverage and
cannot afford to buy it.

According to information provided by Varela on April 7th, Heather Lauber
of the New York offices of Pfizer told her that the South African
donation was a response to a particular situation and that Africa is a
"more important area of the world" with respect to the AIDS epidemic.
Varela also told Stern that she was told by Lauber that in South Africa,
there was no donation as such but that medications would be given out
"at cost."

90 percent of Central America's AIDS affected population remains without
access to ARV therapy, and opportunistic infections are common and
deadly. But Fluconazole, which is priced by Pfizer at $14 per 200 mg
capsule in the region, is well beyond the reach of most people in
Central America where the per capita income in most countries is around
$250 per month.  There are, however, some generic versions of
Fluconazole available in Central America, which range in price from $4
to $10 for the same 200 mg capsule. It is important to note that even a
price of $4 per day is simply too expensive for many poor Central
Americans with AIDS who are unable to work and must depend on charity
even for food and shelter.

Sergio Navas, Secretary of the Nicaraguan Network of People Living with
AIDS also directed a letter to Ms. Varela on April 8th. In his letter
Navas stated "...this is to inform you of the many necessities we face
on a daily basis and that it would be marvelous if you could help us
with this medication (Fluconazole) that is so important for our survival
when we have opportunistic infections....as in Nicaragua, people die on
a daily basis in Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Belice for lack
of access to Fluconazole." Nicaraguans living with AIDS have no access
to anti-retroviral medications, except those few who receive them by
means of donations.

Stern attempted to contact Varela on April 13th to regarding Navas'
letter and was told that she would be unable to speak him.

Agua Buena
Email: rastern@sol.racsa.co.cr


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