AEGiS-WSJ: Merck Cuts Price for AIDs Drugs; It Sells in China by About a Third

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Merck Cuts Price for AIDs Drugs; It Sells in China by About a Third

Wall Street Journal - December 3, 2001
Leslie Chang, Staff Reporter

BEIJING -- Merck & Co. is cutting prices for two AIDS drugs it sells in China, a first for a country that is only starting to face up to its burgeoning epidemic. The U.S. pharmaceutical maker said it will cut by a third the wholesale prices for two of its drugs, Crixivan and Stocrin. At retail prices, Merck's move means that a year's supply of the two medicines will cost about $3,500, down from the original $10,000, the company said. (See related article.)

The announcement, effective immediately, is the first to come out of recent talks between drug companies and the Chinese government, and follows similar moves by pharmaceutical companies in other developing nations. Until now, the Chinese government has been less aggressive than the governments of other nations, among them Brazil and South Africa, in publicly challenging the pharmaceutical industry to bring its drug prices into reach for most patients.

The moves are a step toward helping patients gain access to the drugs in China. While estimates of Chinese people infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, reach about a million, many of those don't know they are infected, and few can afford the drugs at full price. "Our goal is to spur efforts to accelerate access to these life-saving medications in China, where the HIV/AIDS epidemic will become a widespread and devastating toll on the lives of those living with HIV, their families and their communities," said Douglas Cheung, managing director of Merck Sharp & Dohme (China) Ltd.

Write to Leslie Chang at leslie.chang@wsj.com

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