Drug prices: updated international comparisons

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This is an updated version of a survey first published in April 2001, covering offers by pharmaceutical companies and generic manufacturers of discounted prices for antiretroviral drugs.

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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.

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. 

alanine aminotransferase (ALT)

An enzyme found primarily in the liver. Alanine aminotransferase may be measured as part of a liver function test. Abnormally high blood levels of ALT are a sign of liver inflammation or damage from infection or drugs.

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). 

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Generic name

Brand Name

Initials

Manufacturer

Discount Price (on standard dose unless

stated)

Special provisions

Generic Alternative (Country/manufacturer name)

style='font-family:Verdana'>

Protease inhibitors

Lopinavir

style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>/ritonavir

Kaletra

N/a

Abbott

c.$650per year

Further cuts promised

Africa


(available to private sector or company health plans and

NGOs, as well as govts)

None

Ritonavir

Norvir

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N/a

Abbott

c. $650

Further cuts promised

Africa

 

(available to private sector or company health plans and

NGOs, as well as govts)

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

Nelfinavir

Viracept

style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>

N/a

Roche

$1800 p.a

Sub-Saharan Africa

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India

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(Hetero - $2248 p.a.)

Saquinavir

Fortovase

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N/a

Roche

c. $670 for SQV when dosed at 1800mg qd

with ritonavir 100mg

 

c.$800 when dosed at 100mg/100mg twice daily

Sub-Saharan Africa

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India

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(Hetero - $992 p.a.)

Indinavir

Crixivan

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N/a

Merck

$600 per year

Africa

Romania

Haiti

Brazil


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

India

style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>:

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

Ranbaxy: Virodin

Hetero – Indivir

($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

style='font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>USA

style='font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>,

style='font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>Canada

style='font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>, NZ,

style='font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>Australia

style='font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>,

style='font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>Japan

style='font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>,

style='font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>Switzerland

style='font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>,

style='font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>Norway

style='font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>,

style='font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>Iceland

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Nevirapine has been patented in 25 African countries

 

 

India

style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>:

class=SpellE>Cipla

(Nevimune $197

p.a. to non-profits)

Ranbaxy: Nevipan

Hetero: Nevivir

Efavirenz

Stocrin

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N/a

Merck

$500 per year

Africa Romania

Haiti

Brazil ($846 pa)

 

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

govts)

India

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(Aurobindo $485 p.a)

 

Nucleoside analogues (NRTIs)

Stavudine

Zerit

D4T

Bristol

style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Verdana'> Myers

Squibb

15 cents a day/$54 per year

for dose applicable to adults 60kg and over; lower cost

applies at lower body weight

Not available to private sector/company health plans

Note: Stavudine is not patented in any African country

except South Africa

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India

style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>:

class=SpellE>Cipla

(Stavir;

$40 p.a to non-profits)

Ranbaxy: Virostav

Hetero/Genix Pharma:

style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>Stag

Thailand

Brazil

Didanosine

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Videx

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DdI

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Bristol

style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Verdana'> Myers

Squibb

80 cents per day/ $310 p.a. for dose applicable to

adults 60kg and over; lower cost applies at lower body weight

Not available to private sector/company health plans

Note: Didanosine is not

patented in any African country except

style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>South

Africa

 

Thailand: non-buffered version Brazil

India

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(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

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(CIPLA - Duovir $554 pa to

non-profits

Ranbaxy

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class=SpellE>Virocomb

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($346 pa)

Zidovudine

Retrovir

AZT

Glaxo Smith Kline

95% reduction on "average global price"

As above

India

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(CIPLA: Zidovir $306 p.a

lang=NL style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Verdana;

mso-ansi-language:NL'>

Ranbaxy:

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Hetero: Zido-H

Abacavir

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Ziagen

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N/a

Glaxo Smith Kline

 

As above

 

Lamivudine

Epivir

3TC

Glaxo Smith Kline

58 cents per day

As above

Note: Lamivudine is patented in 33 African countries

 

CIPLA -

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(Lamivir,

30 cents per day to non-profits)

Hetero/GenixPharma:

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(marketed for hepatitis B treatment)

Ranbaxy: Virolam

Zalcitabine

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Hivid

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ddC

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Roche

Available at cost

 

Brazil

 

Combinations

of generics

Lamivudine, zidovudine and nevirapine

 

AZT, 3TC and nevirapine

CIPLA

$350 p.a

Non-profits

(Govts $600 p.a)

 Note: each component of this combination is

patented in 23 African countries

Aurobindo

style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Verdana'> (

style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>India

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$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

Note :

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stavudine dose within these formulations is 40mg bid – lower doses for lower

body weight have not been announced.

Ranbaxy

lang=FR style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Verdana;

mso-ansi-language:FR'> (India) –

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$388 (295 p.a to MSF and NGOs)

General Pharmaceutical Organization (Thailand)

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mso-ansi-language:FR'>

$324 p.a