Brazil: Gilead cuts tenofovir price in half.In May 2006 Gilead Sciences Gilead Sciences NASDAQ: GILD is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes therapeutics to advance the care of patients suffering from life-threatening diseases. agreed to cut the price it charges to Brazil for tenofovir tenofovir /te·no·fo·vir/ (te-no´fo-vir?) an antiretroviral agent that inhibits reverse transcriptase; used as t. disoproxil fumarate in the treatment of HIV-1 (human immunodeficiency virus-1) infection. by half. For ten years Brazil has run a program to provide antiretroviral antiretroviral /an·ti·ret·ro·vi·ral/ (-ret´ro-vi?ral) effective against retroviruses, or an agent with this quality. an·ti·ret·ro·vi·ral adj. treatment to all Brazilians who need it, greatly reducing AIDS deaths. Many of the drugs are manufactured in Brazil but others are imported, and a handful of these, previously including tenofovir, have created a major financial strain. Brazil spends over $400 million a year to provide antiretrovirals to 170,000 people. Contributing to the price reduction was a model U.S. activist campaign, asking people to politely po·lite adj. po·lit·er, po·lit·est 1. Marked by or showing consideration for others, tact, and observance of accepted social usage. 2. Refined; elegant: polite society. call Gilead board members, and urge them to use their influence to help make medicines available worldwide. For information see http://www.globalexchange.org/countries/americas/brazil/brazilaidsmeds.html (written before the price reduction was announced). |
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