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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 9, 2004)
January 9,2004 » Just out y -¡ ÎTFTTïïTTTÎtl news hbott Laboratories quietly in- j creased the price of Norvir by 400 j percent Dec. 4, from $1.71 to $8.57 per 100-milligram pill. The protease inhibitor primarily is Community outraged at AIDS drug used in subtherapeutic doses with other protease by B ob R o e h r inhibitors to delay their clearance by the liver. That means the price increase will be felt widely. T he A ID S com m unity has only slowly noted that tipranavir, a promising protease become aware of the increase and is reacting inhibitor under development by Boehringer with outrage and threats of boycott. Ingelheim, uses 400 milligrams of Norvir daily. If The company has asserted that the increase is the price increase stands and if tipranavir is a long-overdue price adjustment and reflects the approved by the Food and Drug Administration, cost (if past research when it had to reformulate its price would be about $20,000 a year, several the compound. It also is not increasing the price times that of other currently available protease to state-run AIDS dnig assistance programs. inhibitors. But many observers are calling it a ploy by “A bbott has changed the landscape of A bbott to increase the market share of Kaletra, HIV/AIDS for the worse— is this what it wants its other protease inhibitor. Kaletra had been to be known for?” the coalition asked. “We losing ground to other protease inhibitors that believe that it is in the overall interests of your recently have been approved for sale. This company to reconsider this shameful and would boost the total cost of other protease destructive path.” inhibitors that must use Norvir as hxister. The HIV Medicine Association called on Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS A bbott to rescind the price increase. “It is criti Healthcare Foundation, noted that even while cal that the implications of your actions on the price of Norvir was skyrocketing, the price access to the majority of treatm ent regimens of Kaletra, which uses Norvir to boost its poten available to persons living with HIV/AIDS in cy, did not increase at all. the U.S. be given paramount consideration,” it “This is purely a marketing ploy to push for a wrote in a Dec. 18 letter to Abbott. “This increase comes at a time when public programs larger market share for Kaletra by driving providers and patients to this cheaper Abbott that provide access to HIV treatm ent are stnig- combination therapy,” he said. “The HIV com gling to keep costs down, and numerous [AIDS munity as a whole should unite and speak out drug assistance programs] have been forced to against Abbott's bald-faced greed.” impose eligibility and formulary restrictions and/or waiting lists.” “Abbott is feeding like a vulture on the bones of our health care system,” the AIDS Howard Grossman, a physician in New York Treatment Activists Coalition said in a flier it is City with a large HIV practice, said in a widely distributing about the price increase. T he or circulated e-mail that he is “going to refuse to ganization, in a letter to A bbott dated Dec. 22, have A bbott reps in my office and will try to S to p A b b o tt G reed! B itter P ill m price increase The 400% N o rvir Price increase is a K iller! Abbott is feeding like a vulture on the bones of our healthcare system. find alternatives to any of their drugs I can.” He also is asking the American Academy of HIV M ed Limiting choices for people with HIV icine, where he serves as chairman who need salvage of the policy committee, to return regimens. any funding from Abbott. Threatening AIDS “To receive academic or finan drug development cial support from A bbott Labora for people with few tories would be an insult to the options. many patients who this decision so There is a national HtV/AIDS funding crisis - ADAP/Medicaid/Medicare are in trouble Drug prices are out of control Waiting lists are spreading greatly impacts,” Benjamin Young Sham drug giveaway programs are no substitute for fair pricing The new Norvir price breaks the bank - Boosted saquinavir or indinavir prices will double wrote to the company. The HIV Boosted Reyataz 25% more expensive Tipranavir will be through the roof New drug development is put in jeopardy doc and clinical instructor of med People who need salvage regimens are under attack icine at University of Colorado All to protect Abbott s market share for Kaletra has rescinded any offer to lecture Call Abbott: (847) 937-6100 Ask for Miles White. CEO. on behalf of the company, attend Tell Abbott: Tell him to roll back the price of Norvir Now! its advisory committee meetings or S to p feeding off people w ith A ID S ! support its research projects. The London-based AIDSmap quoted one pharmaceutical compa T h e A ID S Treatm ent Activists Coalition is distributing this ny research scientist as saying: “This flier about the price increase of protease inhibitor N orvir Isn't just an attack on competitors’ pricing, it’s an attack on their research strategies. inhibitors. But none of the alternatives has been Why h ith er investing in these areas if Abbott has studied in a clinical setting, so no data exists on effectively priced you out of the market ?” whether or how they might be substituted. There is an unconfirmed report that crusading Given Abbott's price increase, that is an New York Attorney General Elliot Spitzer has area that researchers are likely to give new initiated an investigation into the price increase. attention. j n Grapefruit juice and a number of other drugs have an effect similar to Norvir in terms of slow B ob R oehr is a free-lance reporter based in Washington, D .C . ing the liver’s clearance of drugs such a protease P earl ^ T he P earl ^ T he P earl _ T he P earl W o r ld C u p C o f f e e & T e a A Taste of V ietn am three course dinner Mon —Thurs 5:00pm —7:00pm PpARL D IS TR IC T 1012 NYV C lisan S tre e t • 503.248.2172 . LOFTS A T THE EDGE MODERN DESIGN URBAN LIVING N W 14th & Kearney in Portland's Pearl District 8 4 0 -2 ,5 0 0 SF Lofts From $ 2 1 0 ,0 0 0 Sales Office 1122 NW Ghsan Open Tue - Fn 10am-5pm Sat 11am-5pm Sun 12-4pm A Cirro« Asperi 503 226 4252 www edgeiofts com Project
