Register for AIDS drug prices drop 54% in Latin America, Caribbean
Healthcare AccessAugust 12, 2002
Prices of antiretroviral drugs to treat HIV/AIDS dropped up to 54% last year in Latin America and the Caribbean countries as a result of agreements between ministries of health and drug manufacturers, according to a survey by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
But there are also wide differences between the countries surveyed, with some countries paying up to 10 times more for the same treatment, the survey revealed. Antiretroviral drugs have been shown to improve health status, productivity and quality and length of life of people living with HIV/AIDS.
The PAHO survey compared the prices of drugs purchased in May 2001 and May 2002 by the ministries of health of 14 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. To calculate the annual cost of treating a person living with AIDS, PAHO selected two of the most common combinations of antiretroviral therapies. On average the reductions for 3TC/ZDV+NVP were 25% (from $3701 to $2746). For 3TC/ZDV+EFV the prices decreased 54% (from $5506 to $2499).
These prices do not reflect further reductions that some countries were able to negotiate with the companies since then. According to information received by PAHO after the survey, in some Caribbean and Central American countries the cost to provide drugs to AIDS patients is now around $1100 per year. The Caribbean has the second highest prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS in the world, after sub-Saharan Africa.
Until now, negotiations were carried out on a country-by-country basis and some governments were more successful in obtaining antiretroviral price reductions than others. In Haiti, for instance, the cost of 3TC/ZDV+EFV dropped from $21,489 to $1606 in the period surveyed. Another country that managed to reduce prices significantly was Brazil, where the cost of 3TC/ZDV+NVP fell from $1408 to $635, the lowest in the region of the Americas. For the same combination, however, some countries were paying more than $6000.
Under the framework of the WHO/UNAIDS Accelerated Access Initiative, PAHO is supporting countries in the region in their efforts to increase access to comprehensive HIV care and support, including antiretroviral medicines.
As drug prices drop and health systems improve, significant progress is being made in these areas. Even with greatly reduced drug prices, however, many countries cannot afford to provide antiretroviral drugs to all those in need. It is estimated that at least 475,000 people need antiretroviral treatment in Latin America and the Caribbean, (25% of the 1.9 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the region), but only 170,000 currently have access to the drugs, the majority of them in Brazil.
The world AIDS epidemic "has reached alarming proportions," according to Dr. George Alleyne, director of PAHO. "In the Region of the Americas, 1 in every 200 persons between 15 and 49 years of age is HIV-infected. In the Caribbean, 1 in every 50 people has the infection, and it is clear that the incidence of HIV among men continues to increase worldwide." This article was prepared by AIDS Weekly editors from staff and other reports.
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