Victory! Colombian Government Cuts Price of Abbott's Lifesaving AIDS Drug Kaletra 55%, Says AHF |
Advocates Claim Victory as Government Cuts & Freezes Price at $1,067
USD for Public Institutions and $1,591 USD for Hospitals, Clinics & Private
Sector--55% Less than Abbott's Previous Colombian Price
Since January, Colombian, Mexican & US AIDS Advocates Protested Steep
Price of Drug in Developing Countries; Compulsory License in Colombia Would
Further Cut Price to Less Than $600/Patient/Yearly
MEXICO CITY, May 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Colombian and
international AIDS advocates and activists claimed victory today after the
government of Colombia announced that it will cut the price of Abbott
Laboratories' lifesaving AIDS drug, Kaletra to $1,067 USD for the public
sector hospitals and clinics and $1,591 USD for the private sector.
Government officials had asked the Chicago-based pharmaceutical giant to
voluntarily lower the price; however, the company refused. As a result,
Colombia invoked its power to cut and freeze the price of the key AIDS
drug. The cut represents a roughly 55% price reduction in Colombia, where
Abbott previously charged the private sector approximately $3,500 USD per
patient yearly for the drug.
"Colombia's action today to cut the price for Abbott's Kaletra is of
major importance, a move that will undoubtedly help save many, many lives
by making lifesaving AIDS drug regimens more widely available in the
country. We salute the tireless AIDS activists and advocates on the ground
who raised awareness through protests and media outreach that helped keep
this issue in the forefront. I am not aware of another instance in which
the government of a country came in and cut and put a price ceiling on an
AIDS drug." said Clint Trout, MPH "However while this is an important
victory, we call on the Colombian government to accede to local activists
demands to issue a compulsory license for Kaletra, which would allow
Colombia to purchase the medication at less than $600 per patient per year
and would save many additional lives."
In January of this year, 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--held simultaneous protests in the three countries. The
protests targeted Chicago-based Abbott Laboratories over the pricing of
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. The advocates vowed to seek compulsory
licenses in Mexico if Abbott did not reduce prices for the drug and have
officially requested a compulsory license in Colombia. The Colombian
Government is expected to rule on the compulsory license this week.
"In our protests in the three countries in January, we pressed Abbott
to reduce the price of Kaletra in Colombia and Mexico," said Michael
Weinstein, AIDS Healthcare Foundation President. "The lives of people
living with--and dying from--HIV/AIDS in Colombia and Mexico are just as
important as those of people living with AIDS here in the United States. In
March, we claimed partial victory when Abbott cut the price of Kaletra by
twenty percent in Mexico. Today's action by the Colombian government helps
bring about an end to Abbott's price-gouging policies that shamefully
continue to place profits ahead of saving lives. We call on the Colombian
government to use these savings to improve treatment and care for persons
living with HIV/AIDS in Colombia."
In late March, a coalition of AIDS activists known as the Coalicion de
Activistas por el Acceso Universal spearheaded by AIDS Healthcare
Foundation (AHF), which operates four free treatment clinics in Mexico
(Puerto Vallarta, Cancun, Tuxtla Gutierrez and Pachuca), declared victory
in its campaign to lower drug prices and improve access to lifesaving AIDS
treatments in Mexico. As a result of that coalition's prolonged,
multinational campaign to raise awareness about the high price charged by
Abbott Laboratories Inc. for its key AIDS drug, Kaletra in Mexico, the
company cut its price by twenty percent--from $4688.00 pesos MXN per
patient per month to $3750.40 MXN. The new lower price was published for
the first time in med-March on the website of CENSIDA, Mexico's National
Center for the Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS.
The Colombian organizations: 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 in 2008 and have been leading the push for the
compulsory license and lower prices with assistance from AHF and
Washington-based Essential Action. The Ministry of Commerce has requested
the Ministry of Social Protection to rule whether or not Kaletra is a
medication "in the public interest." This ruling is expected this week.
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, http://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."
Kaletra in Colombia
-- Colombia is a lower-middle income country with an average income per
capita of $2,600 per year.(1) 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%).(2) An average of 10,000
people each year die from AIDS in the country.(3)
-- 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.(4)
Colombia's government is spending $70 million each year for AIDS
drugs (all national funding).(5)
-- Abbott promotes Colombia as receiving a preferred price of $1,000 per
patient per year for lower-middle income countries on its website.(6)
However, in reality Abbott charged Colombia $8,400 per patient per year
up through mid-2007.(7)(8) Abbott is currently charging $3,500 in
Colombia.(9)
-- Abbott uses unorthodox and unethical marketing strategies in Colombia to
promote Kaletra. This includes offering classes, dinners, and trips to
patients on Kaletra.(10) 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.(11)
-- 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.(12) Abbott did not respond.
About AHF
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is the nation's largest non-profit
HIV/AIDS healthcare provider. AHF currently provides medical care and/or
services to more than 100,000 individuals in 21 countries worldwide in the
US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean and Asia. Additional information is
available at http://www.aidshealth.org
(1) United Nations Development Program (http://www.undp.org)
(2) Resumen de Situacion de la Epidemia por VIH/SIDA en Colombia. (Dec
2007) Ministerio de Proteccion Social, Colombia.
(3) UNAIDS
http://www.unaids.org/en/CountryResponses/Countries/default.asp
(4) World Health Organization (April 2008). Universal Access Report.
(5) 2008 UNGASS Report, Colombia.
(6)
http://www.abbott.com/global/url/content/en_US/40.5.10:10/general_content/G
eneral_Content_00327.htm
(7) Garavito, L, Gomez, F. (2006) Analisis regulatorio del mercardo
institucional de medicamentos antiretrovirales en Colombia.
(8) Personal Communication with Abbott Laboratories in Colombia.
(9) Local price survey.
(10) AHF can provide 1st hand accounts on request.
(11) Garavito, L, Gomez, F. (2006) Analisis regulatorio del mercardo
institucional de medicamentos antiretrovirales en Colombia.
(12) Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative. http://www.clintonfoundation.org
SOURCE AIDS Healthcare Foundation
back to topRelated links:
CONTACT:
MEXICO, Clint Trout MA MPH, MX Mobile
+52(1)55.19.19.17.73, MX Work +52.55.52.64.72.95, ctrout@bu.edu;
UNITED STATES, Ged Kenslea, Communications Director, AIDS
Healthcare Foundation, 6255, West Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles,
CA, USA, +1-323-860-5225 [work], +1-323-791-5526 [mobile],
gedk@aidshealth.org; or COLOMBIA, Luz Marina Umbral (Spanish),
+57 55 315 323 5765, Francisco Rossi, PhD, +57 (1) 232 6244, +57
(314) 468-8791 cell, licencia.obligatoria.colombia@gmail.com
