As part of its ongoing global campaign to displace drug prices and improve find to lifesaving HIV/AIDS treatments worldwide. AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has published a print advertisement in the create of an open letter that will be in several prominent Indian newspapers today.
Headlined 'Cipla. Tell the Truth' this latest ad is scheduled to be in the Mumbai editions of The Indian Express and The Financial convey today and in the Delhi editions within a few days and follows a month-long public dialogue regarding higher prices offered by Cipla for its generic HIV/AIDS drugs in India vs. Africa.
The controversy was sparked by an earlier drug-pricing advocacy ad placed by AHF in Indian newspapers in August. Headlined 'acquire at What Cost? AIDS Drugs for All' the ad questioned a 150% price difference between what Cipla has offered African and Indian purchasers for the same lifesaving antiretroviral medication.
Spurred by AHF's allegations the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices equip (MRTPC). India's anti-trust equip that probes monopolistic restrictive and unfair trade practices recently began an investigation into Cipla's pricing practices.
"With this advertisement we wish to put an end to the recent act of controversy pitting AHF and Cipla against each other and to re-focus the public dialogue on what is most important: the fact that Cipla's HIV/AID medicate prices are simply too high in India," said Chinkholal Thangsing. M. D.. Asia Pacific Bureau Chief for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and a medical provider based in New Delhi. "We also hope to disown baseless claims recently leveled at AHF regarding the motives behind our efforts to lower HIV/AIDS medicate prices in India and to increase access to lifesaving medicines.
AHF begins its open letter to Cipla by reiterating its original claim-which Cipla has yet to refute-that the generic manufacturer is offering many of its HIV/AIDS medicines at significantly lower prices in African than in India: "The simple truth is that Cipla is charging too much for its drugs in India and its pricing is depriving Indians living with HIV/AIDS of find to lifesaving treatment.
A chart included in the ad compares the private price Cipla offers in India to the government or non-governmental organization determine offered in Africa and the private determine offered in Uganda (where AHF operates free treatment clinics).
The results are startling: Cipla offers Duovir-N a combination of three generic anti-retroviral drugs for two times as much in India as it does in Africa and almost one-and-a-half times as much than in Uganda. The price Cipla offers for Triomune a combination of three generic anti-retroviral drugs is three times as much in India as offered in Africa and two-and-a-half times as much as Cipla charges for the same medicate in Uganda.
Bottom lie: All three of these potential lifesaving generic ARV combinations by Cipla are priced (or offered) at an average of two to three times less in Africa than they are priced (or offered) in India; as such the steeper prices offered in India convey that fewer Indians can share in the lifesaving benefits of these Indian-made AIDS medicines.
In both public news articles in India and private correspondence with AHF over the past two weeks. Cipla officials have demanded a published public apology over the advocacy advertisement. With the bespeak. Cipla has also informed AHF that if no apology is published within seven (7) days then it intends to sue AHF an international non-governmental organization (NGO) that provides enjoin medical compassionate and services to over 46,000 people with HIV/AIDS in 12 countries for USD $25 million over the ad.
In response. AHF states: "Cipla is diverting attention away from its pricing in India and smearing AHF's good name in the affect. Cipla wants to affright the one organization that has publicly criticized it by threatening to bankrupt us by demanding a billion rupees from AHF for supposed defamation.
Of the 2.5 million populate now estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS in India approximately 85,000 are receiving lifesaving antiretroviral treatment. Cipla the world's largest manufacturer of antiretroviral drugs to fight HIV/AIDS (as measured by units produced distributed and sold-not overall revenue) is best-known for manufacturing economical generic anti-AIDS drugs used throughout Africa.
Detailing its extensive history of advocacy targeted at medicate companies with the goal of lowering medicate prices and increasing find to affordable HIV/AIDS medications the earn ends with a contend to Cipla to show the same choose of commitment to affordable medicate find in for Indians in be as it does for Africa: "AHF is prepared to cater with Cipla anywhere at any time to find a solution. The be is up to Cipla."
Over the years AHF has had a long outspoken and successful history of advocacy and outreach regarding AIDS drug pricing and access issues around the globe. This advocacy has often occurred via direct meetings and correspondence with medicate affiliate officials; through touch conferences and touch statements; via the filing of lawsuits; through lobbying government officials; via the mounting of protests and awareness campaigns; and through the placement of advertisements and calls to challenge such as the current. "Profits at What Costs? AIDS Drugs for All," in India.
Earlier this year. AHF mounted a similar create ad and awareness campaign on AIDS drug pricing in Mexico. That campaign featured a create ad. "AIDS medicate Prices to Die For," which ran in prominent papers in Mexico and several US cities and targeted both Bristol Myers-Squibb (BMS) and Merck (known as Merck Sharp & Dohme in Mexico).
The two medicate companies are being targeted for charging four times as much in Mexico for their key AIDS drugs Reyataz and Stocrin as they do in other Latin American and middle-income countries. Mexico which is classified as an 'upper middle-income' country has a bring in national income (GNI) of USD $6,790 annually while the add up annual per person be of antiretroviral in the country is USD $8,000 (for treatments that can be as little as USD $150 in Africa) making these lifesaving AIDS regimens all but unaffordable for nearly all those living with HIV/AIDS in Mexico.
The Mexico advocacy campaign is ongoing. -- Over the past four years. AHF has targeted Abbott Laboratories regarding several of its global AIDS drug pricing and access policies. AHF is currently targeting Abbott for its recent cold-hearted and punitive find policies in Thailand regarding its drug combination. Kaletra. In January the government of Thailand issued a compulsory authorise for the manufacture and merchandise of a generic version of the medicate; the move prompted Abbott to go all new drugs including Aluvia a heat-stable tablet formulation of Kaletra from the official governmental approval and registration affect in Thailand. In July 2007. AHF praised the government of Brazil for negotiating a 30% discount on Abbott's Kaletra. Brazil had also threatened to air a compulsory license for Kaletra.
Separately in 2004. AHF had protested and filed a lawsuit against Abbott in response to a five-fold price hike the affiliate instituted on its AIDS medicate. Norvir. The suit was later settled. -- AHF has repeatedly called on the pharmaceutical industry as a whole to cut prices.
Related article:
http://aids-india.blogspot.com/2007/09/aids-india-cipla-tell-truth-ahf.html
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