Drug access table: June 2001 update

Keith Alcorn
Estimated reading time 13 minutes
This article is more than 25 years old.

This table updates an edition published in April to include new data on prices and discounts offered by several Indian manufacturers of generic antiretrovirals, with the brand names of their products where available, and the terms of the discounted deals for generic drugs.

This table will continue to be updated in line with new developments and offers - please forward any relevant information to the editor Keith Alcorn.

Unicef, UNAIDS, WHO and MSF recently published a price list for drugs and diagnostics for people living with HIV which includes indicative prices for drugs used to treat opportunistic infections and antibody testing kits.

Glossary

generic

In relation to medicines, a drug manufactured and sold without a brand name, in situations where the original manufacturer’s patent has expired or is not enforced. Generic drugs contain the same active ingredients as branded drugs, and have comparable strength, safety, efficacy and quality.

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) brings together the resources of ten United Nations organisations in response to HIV and AIDS.

tid

Abbreviation of a Latin term meaning three times a day.

 

nucleoside

A precursor to a building block of DNA or RNA. Nucleosides must be chemically changed into nucleotides before they can be used to make DNA or RNA. 

reverse transcriptase

A retroviral enzyme which converts genetic material from RNA into DNA, an essential step in the lifecycle of HIV. Several classes of anti-HIV drugs interfere with this stage of HIV’s life cycle: nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors and nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). 

Join an online discussion about making treatments affordable for resource poor countries at www.aidsmap.com.

 

Generic name

 

Brand name

 

Initials

 

Manufacturer

 

Discount price

 

Special provisions

 

Generic alternative (Country/manufacturer name)

 

Protease inhibitors

 

Lopinavir/ritonavir

 

Kaletra

 

N/a

 

Abbott

 

c.$1,000 per year

 

Africa

(available to private sector or company health plans and NGOs, as well as govts)

 

None

 

Ritonavir

 

Norvir

 

N/a

 

Abbott

 

c. $1,000

 

Africa

(available to private sector or company health plans and NGOs, as well as govts)

 

India (Hetero - c. $4300 p.a)

 

Nelfinavir

 

Viracept

 

N/a

 

Roche

 

$1800 p.a

 

Sub-Saharan Africa

 

India (Hetero - $2248 p.a)

 

Saquinavir

 

Fortovase

 

N/a

 

Roche

 

c. $2400 at 1800mg qd

 

15% discount for sub-Saharan Africa

 

India (Hetero - $992 p.a.)

 

Indinavir

 

Crixivan

 

N/a

 

Merck

 

$600 per year

 

Africa Romania

Haiti

Brazil

Available to NGOs and company health plans, as well as govts

 

India:

CIPLA - $2300 p.a at 800mg tid)

Hetero -

$1840 p.a. at 800mg tid)

 

Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs)

 

Nevirapine

 

Viramune

  

 

Boehringer Ingelheim

 

Free as two doses for mother and infant treatment

$1.22 per day for adult dosing ($445 p.a)

 

Maternal/infant treatment free to all non-EU countries (also excludes USA, Canada, NZ, Australia, Japan, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland)

 

India: Cipla (Nevimune $197 p.a to non-profits)

 

Efavirenz

 

Stocrin

 

N/a

 

Merck

 

$500 per year

 

Africa Romania

Haiti

Brazil ($846 pa)

Available to NGOs and company health plans, as well as govts

 

India (Aurobindo $485 p.a)

 

Nucleoside analogues (NRTIs)

 

Stavudine

 

Zerit

 

D4T

 

Bristol Myers Squibb

 

15 cents a day/$54 per year

 

Not available to private sector/company health plans

 

India: Cipla (Stavir; $40 p.a to non-profits)

Thailand

Brazil

 

 

Didanosine

 

Videx

 

ddI

 

Bristol Myers Squibb

 

80 cents per day/ $310 p.a.

 

Not available to private sector/company health plans

 

 

Not patented in Africa

Thailand: non-buffered version Brazil

India (CIPLA - $584; Aurobindo $190 p.a)

 

Zidovudine and lamivudine

 

Combivir

 

AZT and 3TC

 

Glaxo Smith Kline

 

$2 per day

($730 p.a)

 

Developing countries - govts, NGOs and workplace initiatives where suitable medical infrastructure exists, via UNAIDS

Accelerating Access Initiative

 

India (CIPLA - Duovir $554 pa to non-profits

 

Zidovudine

 

Retrovir

 

AZT

 

Glaxo Smith Kline

 

95% reduction on "average global price"

 

 

As above

 

India (CIPLA: Zidovir $306 p.a

 

Abacavir

 

Ziagen

 

N/a

 

Glaxo Smith Kline

  

 

As above

  

 

Lamivudine

 

Epivir

 

3TC

 

Glaxo Smith Kline

 

58 cents per day

 

As above

 

CIPLA - India

(Lamivir, $109 p.a to non-profits)

 

Zalcitabine

 

Hivid

 

ddC

 

Roche

 

Available at cost

  

 

Brazil

 

Combinations of generics

 

Lamivudine, zidovudine and nevirapine

  

 

AZT, 3TC and nevirapine

 

CIPLA (India)

 

 

$350 p.a

 

 

Non-profits

(Govts $600 p.a)

  

 

Aurobindo (India)

 

$295 p.a

 

Offered to govt health progs

 

Lamivudine, stavudine and nevirapine

  

 

3TC, d4T and nevirapine

 

Hetero (India)

 

$350 p.a

 

Offered to govt health progs

  

Contact info for Indian generic manufacturers

CIPLA: exports@cipla.com

Cipla Ltd., Mumbai Central, Mumbai 400 008, India

Telephone: +91 22 308 2891, +91 22 309 5521

Fax: +91 22 307 0013

Hetero Drugs: info@heterodrugs.com

Hetero House,H.No. 8-3-166/7/1, Erragadda, Hyderabad 500 018, India

Phone: +91 40 370 4923/24/25

Fax: +91 40 370 4926/3714250

Aurobindo Pharma Ltd: info@aurobindo.com

Plot #2, Maitrivihar, Ameerpet, Hyderabad 500 038, Andhra Pradesh. India

Phone : +91 40 374 1083, 374 1084, 374 4919

Fax : 91 40 374 1080, 374 6833

Unicef, UNAIDS, WHO and MSF recently published a price list for drugs and diagnostics for people living with HIV which includes indicative prices for drugs used to treat opportunistic infections and antibody testing kits.

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