| | |  Health & Beauty | September 2008 
AIDS Healthcare Foundation Scolds Abbott
 Christe Bruderlin-Nelson - FiercePharma
go to original
| 
Click image to enlarge | | | |
"Shame on Abbott" said the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which is loudly calling into question the pricing policies of Abbott Laboratories in Mexico.
Abbott, the Foundation claims, is picking on Mexico, charging the country five times what it charges other middle-income countries (the Foundation cites Brazil as an example) for Kaletra, a protease inhibitor used in combination with other drugs to treat infection with HIV. To raise awareness, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation is running ads in Abbott's headquarter state of Illinios. In the ad the foundation proclaims, "Abbott's price gouging in Mexico puts profits ahead of saving lives."
This is not the first time AIDS activists have taken Abbott's decisions on the AIDS medication to task. The company has previously raised controversy regarding a new version of Kaletra in Thailand and pricing issues in Colombia.
The Foundation operates free treatment clinics in Puerto Vallarta, Cancun and Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico, and has previously raised concerns about GlaxoSmithKline and Merck. Its first ads against Abbott Labs appeared September 6, 2008 in a regional daily paper in Illinois.
Following is the full text of AHF's Shame on Abbott' advertisement:
Shame on Abbott
In Mexico, Abbott charges 5 times more for its AIDS medicine Kaletra than it costs in other middle-income countries.
Abbott's Price Gouging in Mexico Puts Profits Ahead of Saving Lives
Abbott's AIDS medicine Kaletra is an important 2nd-line treatment for people with AIDS, but Abbott is abusing NAFTA's patent protections to force Mexico to pay 5 times more than it charges Brazil. Kaletra costs $1,000 per year in Brazil, a country with a similar economy to Mexico, but Abbott charges Mexico over $5,400. This represents one of the worst examples to date of Abbott's terrible record on AIDS. Without affordable pricing for Kaletra for people in Mexico thousands of lives will be lost.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation calls on Abbott to immediately lower the price of Kaletra in Mexico to equal the price offered to Brazil.
For more information, please visit www.aidshealth.org. |
|
| |
Vallarta Weddings
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us