AIDS drug's price soars (400%) | Sacramento Bee

[Ediacara]

AIDS drug's price soars
Doctors are outraged by the 400% jump in the cost of the vital medicine.
By Dorsey Griffith -- Bee Medical Writer
Published 2:15 a.m. PST Monday, February 2, 2004


Doctors nationwide have begun an unprecedented protest over a 400 percent increase in the price of a drug that has helped hundreds of thousands of patients with HIV and AIDS live longer.

A friendly and often lucrative relationship between HIV doctors and Abbott Laboratories has gone sour because of the price increase. What began as a war of words between several HIV organizations and the company has escalated to include a boycott.

In a Jan. 20 letter to the company, more than 150 doctors who specialize in HIV care said they will resign from Abbott advisory panels, refuse to participate in Abbott drug trials or attend Abbott-sponsored lectures. They will ban Abbott representatives from their offices and consider alternatives to Abbott drugs when possible for their patients.

More at the Sacramento Bee

[jean]

1. we should follow Brazil's example

and develop our own, generic producing labs to distribute the drugs to all AIDS/HIV patients. Brazil was able to become so efficient in this the drugs were supplied free to citizens.

[Tempest]

2. Abbott Laboratories huge GOP contributor

Of the $452,300 Abbott has contributed since 2000, $442,300 has gone to Repugs.

http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.asp?NumOfThou=0&txtName=abbott+lab&txtState=%28all+states%29&txtZip=&txtEmploy=&txtCand=&txt2004=Y&txt2002=Y&txt2000=Y&Order=N

[RUexperienced]

3. Most patients won't feel the inflated price

...The drug in question is ritonavir. Abbott holds the patent, and markets it under the name Norvir. In December, ritonavir jumped from an average wholesale price of $2.14 per 100 milligram pill to $10.71 per pill, bringing the annual cost of a typical prescription to more than $7,000.

Most patients won't feel the inflated price, at least for the time being, because they get the drugs through public programs that impose price controls....

(from the story)

[beyurslf]

5. Which doesn't mean that is ok to raise the price.

Who pays for the public assistance programs? Taxes. For those not on the assistance, who pays? Insurance. When insurance pays that much more, who pays? The insured in higher premiums.

This is egregious. I take 2 anti HIV meds. Neither are protease inhibitors which are stronger drugs taken when the disease progesses. Protease inhibitors are usually taken more frequently (2-4 doses a day) than other meds which may be once a day. One drug I take is 5800 a year. The other is 7000 but is a combination of 2 drugs. I can't imagine one drug costing that and still needing 2 more drugs to go with it. The cost of meds would reach 20,000 a year.

BTW, the drugs in Brazil cost far less and are effective too.

[Jazzgirl]

4. I'm glad these doctors are stepping up to the plate!

I had read Abbott was raising the cost of one of their HIV drugs 400-500%. I thought that was total robbery. There is no way the majority can afford to pay this amount. This puts economic pressure on Abbott to re-think their position. It would be nice if ALL doctors boycotted 'em!