United Press International - Friday, 7 July 2000
Ed Susman, UPI Science News

The announcement came as an expected 10,000 delegates to the World AIDS 2000 conference gathered in Durban, South Africa. Pharmaceutical companies have come under attack for charging more than developing countries can afford to treat the 34 million people worldwide who have HIV infection or AIDS. More than 90 percent of those people live in the developing world.

In a statement, Rolf Krebs, vice chairman of the board of managing directors at Boehringer Ingelheim, Ingelheim, Germany, Boehringer Ingelheim, said Friday that nevirapine (marketed as Viramune) will be offered free of charge for a period of five years for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in developing economies. Dr. Peter Piot, executive director of UNAIDS, said, "Boehringer Ingelheims offer is a significant development in helping to make the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV a reality in the developing world."

Krebs said the initiative is part of Boehringer Ingelheim's commitment to the collaborative effort with five companies--also Bristol-Myers Squibb, F. Hoffman-La Roche, Glaxo Wellcome and Merck & Co., Inc., and international organizations such as the World Health Organisation, World Bank, UNICEF and UNAIDS and committed governments to explore practical ways of working together to make HIV/AIDS care available. "Nevirapine can fill a critical need in the developing world," Krebs said.

Researchers reported recently that that antiviral intervention can have a significant impact on the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Researchers projected that if all pregnant women in South Africa took a short course of antiretroviral medication during labor, as many as 110,000 infant HIV infections could be prevented over the next five years. Authors of The Lancet article noted that a single dose of VIRAMUNE to mother-baby pairs is likely the most cost effective, efficacious and most easily administered antiretroviral agent for the prevention of transmission of the virus to date.

"Nevirapine, which has been studied in women in Uganda and South Africa, holds great promise for reducing mother-to-child HIV transmissions in the developing world because it represents a short and simple regimen, which can be easily administered in a resource-poor environment," said Dr. Brooks Jackson, of Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. "While more needs to be known and done before nevirapine can be safely administered on a wide scale in many countries, this offer holds out great hope for many millions of women," Piot said.

Krebs said his company will adhere to the WHO guidelines for drug donations to ensure that nevirapine is donated to the developing countries with the greatest need.

Nevirapine is marketed world-wide by Boehringer Ingelheim and in the United States by Columbus, Ohio-based Roxane Laboratories, also a member of the Boehringer Ingelheim group of companies.
000707
UP000709

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2000. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2000. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .