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Chinese AIDS patients to get cheaper drugs
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-07-15 15:59
Chinese AIDS patients are expected to get much cheaper medicines following
the signing of an agreement between China and US-based pharmaceutical giant
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the Beijing-based China Economic Times reported
Wednesday.
In last April, China's ministries of health and finance jointly issued a
policy document pledging free treatment to poor AIDS patients in both urban and
rural areas.
Six anti-virus medicines including epivir, zidovudine and stavudine, all
needed in the so-called "cocktail therapy" for AIDS patients, were picked as
officially-designated medicines to be purchased by the government and
distributed free.
The Chinese government had negotiated for years with foreign companies
holding the patent and sales right. As a result, China started its home
production of the anti-AIDS medicines last year, and currently there are several
domestic pharmaceutical companies in Shanghai and Northeast China manufacturing
all of the government-endorsed medicines except epivir.
According to the latest deal with the Chinese government, GSK will sell the
epivir on the Chinese market at a "preferential price" for the period between
2004 and 2006, sources with GSK China Investment Co. Ltd. said.
GSK is considering launching epivir production in China, which will help
further reduce the cost and price, the sources added.
Anti-virus medicines used to cost Chinese AIDS patients 30,000 to 50,000 yuan
(US$36,00 to US$6,000) a year as the country had no capability to produce such
medicines and had to rely on imports.
Medical experts here are optimistic that the prices of medicines for AIDS,
which have already dropped in recent months, will continue to fall. In the near
future, they say, each AIDS patient might only have to pay 3,000 to 5,000 yuan
(US$360 to US$600) a year for treatment.
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