GlaxoSmithKline has announced that it is cutting the prices of its five anti-HIV drugs to “not-for-profit” levels for 63 of the world’s poorest countries.
The move will see the cost of Glaxo’s anti-HIV drugs fall by up to a third. The company is also cutting the price of its two anti-malaria drugs by up to 38%.
After the price-cuts a daily dose of Combivir (AZT and 3TC in one pill), will cost $1.70, or a little over £1, still well beyond the financial means of most people with HIV in resource limited countries and more expensive than cheaper generics. The price of a daily dose of Glaxo's Trizivir (the company's three NRTI drugs AZT, 3TC and abacavir in one pill) falls to $4.45 (a little over £2). The combination is one of the favoured options for first-line anti-HIV therapy in resource limited settings (click here for further information on guidelines for treatment in resource-limited settings).
The Glaxo price cuts are likely to be particularly welcomed by private companies in countries like South Africa which are increasingly providing HIV treatments to their HIV-positive employees. Glaxo SmithKline has said it is exploring ways of providing its discounted medications to companies without workplace medical facilities and that it will expand its initiatives to provide public essential public sector workers with anti-HIV medication.
The latest price cut comes almost exactly a year after Glaxo and some other pharmaceutical companies reduced the price of their HIV antiretroviral medication by up 90% for poorer countries hardest hit by HIV.
The discounted drugs will, once regulatory approval is obtained, be marketed in special packaging to differentiate them from the full-price product.