The World Health Organisation, UNICEF, UNAIDS and Medecins sans Frontieres have published a new directory of prices for drugs and diagnostics
The directory covers:
- Indicative prices for the United States, Spain and the UK ( revealing that the UK’s National Health Service is often paying more than the maximum charged in the US, and rarely undercuts the minimum US price
- Lists manufacturers of generic versions of drugs and provides contact details
- HIV antibody test kits and bulk procurement prices
- Comparison of CD4 cell counting methods
"It's a useful tool, because one of the barriers to access is getting the right information and comparative information," a spokeswoman for the WHO Health Technology and Pharmaceuticals department told Reuters Health. "It is yet another move to try to expand access to HIV medicines in poor countries."
However, the document does not detail price reductions offered by pharmaceutical companies, not indeed any prices offered by generic manufacturers of antiretrovirals and other drugs used in the treatment of HIV-related conditions. For a recently updated list of such offers, see the list published on this website in May 2002.
the World Health Organisation's website .