On February 19, pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, one of the world’s largest producers of HIV medications, announced that it is cutting the prices of 14 antiretroviral drugs sold in developing countries, the Wall Street Journalreports (blogs.wsj.com, 2/19). According to the Journal, this is the company’s fifth price rollback since 1997.
Prices of the 14 drugs will drop by an average of 21 percent, according to GlaxoSmithKline, due to the availability of cheaper ingredients and improvements in manufacturing.
The biggest price cut will be in a drug called Ziagen, the liquid form of which is recommended by the World Health Organization for use in children. The price of Ziagen will drop by 40 percent to cost $15.08 per pack, or 50 cents a day. The company’s most expensive HIV drug, Lexiva, will drop in price by 20 percent, to a new cost of $3.35 a day.
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comments 1 - 4 (of 4 total)
mb, , 2008-02-26 08:56:15
Others should do the same but also Drop the Prices here in the U.S.A. What's good for some Geese is good for the entire Gander
John, Houston, 2008-02-21 20:35:17
Why do they not salso drop the prices in the US? How about dropping the price on all of their HIV medications?
Mark, Maryville, 2008-02-21 09:15:46
I wonder why GSK can not drop the prices here in the USA? I guess that they are under the assumption that everyone in the USA can afford OVER PRICED Anti-virals.
Alfredo, Baltimore, 2008-02-20 22:33:49
GSK should be commended for lowering their prices. Obviously, this will impact lives in developing countries in positive way. Hopefully, other pharmaceutical companies will take GSK's lead. Kudos to GSK! I reccomend people write GSK execs and thank them for this humanitarian measure.
SugarandSpice43
