United States : President Clinton, Pfizer, and Mylan Announce New Agreements to Lower Prices of Medicines for Patients with Drug-Resistant HIV in Developing Countries.

Byline: Mamta03

President Bill Clinton announced two important and complementary agreements today to enable better, more affordable treatments for patients on second-line antiretroviral (ARV) therapy for HIV/AIDS in the developing world. For the first time, a second-line regimen of four ARVs will be available for under $500 annually. Additionally, the cost of a key drug for treating tuberculosis (TB) in patients using second-line ARVs has been reduced by 60 percent, to $1 per dose.

"Thanks to the work of my Foundation s HIV/AIDS Initiative, 2 million people living with HIV/AIDS are now able to access lifesaving treatment, President Clinton said. "But their continued survival depends on uninterrupted access to medicines and quality and affordable health care throughout their entire life. Today s announcement will help ensure we can sustain treatment over a lifetime and better treat patients with both HIV and TB, two key steps in turning the tide of the global HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Addressing the need for more affordable second-line ARVs, Mylan and Matrix, a Mylan company, are making available all four drugs atazanavir (ATV), ritonavir (RTV), tenofovir (TDF), and lamivudine (3TC) needed to enable once-daily treatment of patients who have developed resistance to standard first-line ARVs. The four drugs will be available in three pills, with tenofovir and lamivudine combined into a single pill. The three pills are being made available today as separate products, with a total price of less than $475 annually. Matrix also will sell the pills together in one package a "second-line-in-a-box at $425 annually starting in 2010. These new products and prices will be available to governments that are members of the Clinton Foundation s Procurement Consortium across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. TDF+3TC is FDA approved, and ATV and RTV are pending approval by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Mylan Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Robert J. Coury said, "Ensuring sustainable access to effective treatments in the developing world is a critical element in the global fight against HIV/AIDS. Mylan and Matrix are proud to continue our commitment of creating and introducing innovative and affordable pharmaceutical solutions. This includes our second-line-in-a-box, which will reduce patient pill burden and facilitate patient compliance. Our affordable, heat-stable version of ritonavir also represents another advance in the development of products that can withstand environmental conditions in parts of the world where treatment is desperately needed.

Copyright : Euclid Infotech Pvt. Ltd.

Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company