Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1998. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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AIDS TREATMENT NEWS Issue #302, September 4, 1998
John S. James
The statement notes:
* The longer survival of patients today allows manufacturers to charge lower prices and still have a healthy profit and incentive for further research;
* Abacavir and efavirenz will be used by both treatment naive and treatment experienced patients, making the potential market very large;
* Both the development and production costs of these drugs appear to be much lower than for the protease inhibitors;
* Because patients are using more drugs today, the overall decrease in the cost of HIV therapy could be reversed if prices are set too high;
* State ADAP drug-assistance programs often face bankruptcy before the end of their fiscal year and must stop providing vital drugs; both ADAP and Medicaid programs are under close scrutiny to cut costs; and HMOs are also starting to restrict drugs because of the expense.
* Exploitative pricing will trigger widespread hostility, contentious debate, and closer scrutiny of industry practices in general.
This consensus letter is sponsored by the Fair Price Working Group, which currently includes Martin Delaney of Project Inform, Bill Bahlman of ACT UP/New York, Ron Baker of San Francisco AIDS Foundation, Dave Gilden of GMHC Treatment Issues, Linda Grinberg of the Foundation for AIDS and Immune Research, and John S. James of AIDS Treatment News. To obtain the full statement, or to sign for your organization or as an individual, contact Linda Grinberg by email at linda_grinberg@prodigy.com, by fax at 310-471-4565, or by voicemail at 310-471-4108.
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