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Clinton Foundation initiative to bring down AIDS treatment cost
Our Bureau
New Delhi
,
Jan. 13
THE Clinton Foundation has once again managed to negotiate deals with private companies to bring down the cost of diagnosis as well as prices of two anti-AIDS drugs for its own HIV/AIDS initiative.
While the cost of HIV diagnosis would come down by 50 per cent and prices of two anti-AIDS drugs, used for second line of treatment, would come down by about 30 per cent. The former US President, Mr Bill Clinton, made this announcement in the US recently.
According to an official release, the Foundation has reached an agreement with Qualpro Diagnostics (India), besides US-based Chembio, Orgenics of Israel and Shanghai Kehua (China).
As a result of the agreement, rapid tests for HIV could cost 49-65 cents per test, bringing down the cost of HIV diagnosis by 50 per cent.
Also, under the agreement, Indian companies such as Cipla, Ranbaxy and Strides Arcolab and South Africa's Aspen Pharmacare would offer the anti-retroviral drug - Efavirenz - for $240 per patient per year and Cipla would offer the another drug, Abacavir for $447 per patient per year, it said.
These prices would result in savings of more than 30 per cent from current market rates. However, the supply of Efavirenz at $240 by Cipla and Ranbaxy would be subject to certain volume of orders. For smaller orders, a surcharge may be levied.
In 2003, the Clinton Foundation had entered into agreements with generic pharma companies to bring down the prices of the first-line of anti-retroviral drugs for developing countries. The annual price paid for the most common first-line therapy is $136.
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