Drug access table: June 2001 update

This article is more than 24 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.

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. 

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.

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