AFRO-NETS> Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report - Thu, 6 Sep 2001

[Cecilia Snyder <csnyder@ccmc.org>]

Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report - Thu, 6 Sep 2001
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Cipla Sees Exports of AIDS Drugs Increase Following Discount Offer

Cipla Ltd., the Indian pharmaceutical firm that "shook" the global 
market last February when it offered to sell a generic three-drug 
AIDS therapy to Doctors Without Borders for an annual cost of $350 
per patient, said on Tuesday that it is exporting the drugs to a 
"dozen" countries, including Nigeria, Algeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast 
and Cambodia, and is in talks to expand its sales to other African 
and Southeast Asian nations, Reuters reports. Sales of AIDS medica-
tions could increase to more than $20 million a year if the South Af-
rican government approves the company's request to export its drugs 
there, Cipla Chair Yusuf Hamied said. He did not reveal the company's 
current sales figures for HIV/AIDS medications, but said that it is 
"gratifying that anti-AIDS medicines are finally beginning to reach 
those who need them desperately." The three-drug combination contains 
lamivudine, nevirapine and stavudine, whose patents are owned by 
GlaxoSmithKline, Boehringer-Ingelheim and Bristol-Myers Squibb, re-
spectively. Indian patent law applies only to the process used to 
make drugs, thereby allowing generic drug makers like Cipla to pro-
duce patented medicines by retooling the production process. Cipla's 
offer, about one-thirtieth the U.S. price for the drugs, prompted 
some drug makers such as Bristol-Myers and Merck to offer developing 
nations additional price reductions (Shankar, Reuters, 9/4).    


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MTV to Air Video of 'What's Going On' Celebrity Recording Session

Before the broadcast of tonight's MTV Video Music Awards, the network 
will air a short video of yesterday's recording session that drew 
more than 20 pop, rock and rap artists to remake Marvin Gaye's 1971 
hit "What's Going On," in support of anti-AIDS efforts in Africa, USA 
Today reports. The video will also highlight "the chronic, tragic na-
ture of AIDS in Africa" to promote awareness of the issue and publi-
cize the rerecording project, spearheaded by U2 lead singer Bono, 
which aims to direct album proceeds to AIDS treatment. In addition to 
raising awareness and funds, the project supports debt relief in de-
veloping nations, a movement Bono has been "championing" for several 
years. The single will be available by World AIDS Day on Dec. 1 (Mem-
mott, USA Today, 9/6). 


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The Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, 
a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, by National 
Journal Group Inc. ¸ 2001 by National Journal Group Inc. and Kaiser 
Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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