Price of AIDS drugs in central America halved

Negotiations carried out by the governments of central America with five pharmaceutical companies have led to a reduction in the prices of antiretrovirals, the drugs used against HIV/AIDS. The most common treatment in the region, composed of the drugs AZT, 3TC, and EFV, will now cost between US$1,035(€966) and $1,454 (€1,357)/y, according to Pan American Health Organization experts.

The price cut, representing an average reduction of 55% from current prices in central America for brand name antiretrovirals, was based on the 'Accelerated Access Initiative', a mechanism created by countries, pharmaceutical companies, and UN agencies to improve care of people with HIV/AIDS. The Panama negotiation was coordinated by the central American Secretary of Social Integration, with technical support from PAHO.

The ministers of health of Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua conducted the negotiations.

'With these prices we can expand significantly the number of people with HIV/AIDS under antiretroviral treatment,' said the minister of health of Panama, Dr Fernando Gracia Garcia, who chaired the meeting.

Of the drug companies that participated in the negotiation, the greatest price reductions were offered by GlaxoSmithKline (50-83%), Bristol-Myers Squibb (75%), and Hoffman-La Roche (up to 47%, depending on volume of purchase). Boehringer-Ingelheim, in addition to a reduction of 33-38%, will donate drugs for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission. Merck Sharp & Dohme maintained the prices lowered two years ago, when reductions from 75-85% were announced.

The central American ministers also met with representatives of Cipla, Ranbaxy and Combinopharma, manufacturers of generic antiretrovirals certified by the World Health Organization (WHO). Some central American countries have expressed interest in using more generic antiretrovirals, particularly those that have been evaluated against international quality norms, and certified by WHO as suitable for procurement by UN agencies. For those countries in the region selecting this option, the annual price of first line triple therapy will be further reduced to between $800 (€747) and $1,200 (€1120) per patient.

Treatment with antiretrovirals improves the quality of life and increases life expectancy of people with HIV/AIDS. It is estimated that 180,000 people with HIV live in central America. 'The reduction of prices in Central America is a milestone in the history of the epidemic of HIV/AIDS, both at the level of the regional response and in the world context', said Dr. Gracia Garcia.