The Not So Accelerated Access Initiative By Mark Harrington In early April the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) held a small, secretive meeting in Hsbjr, Norway, on "Differential Pricing and Financing of Essential Drugs." Initially,…
Roche’s Valganciclovir is Recommended for Approval On 27 February at the sad and lonely Gaithersburg Holiday Inn, the FDA’s Antiviral Drug Advisory Committee (ADAC) held a hearing to discuss Hoffmann-La Roche’s NDA for valganciclovir for the treatment of CMV retinitis…
Government Experts Roll Back the Big Guns, And Slither Away to Trenches ‘Inferences, hints and clues’ Mark Harrington writes, “As someone who’s spent the last twelve years of my life trying to encourage more and better AIDS research, and has…
End Stage Liver Disease Emerges As Leading Cause of Death in PWAs with Hepatitis C “While many people with HIV are living longer, more productive lives,” Michael Marco explains,” a good many who are also co-infected with the hepatitis C…
Twelve Years in Coming On February 27th the FDA's Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee met to consider an application for approval of Hoffmann-La Roche's valganciclovir for the treatment of CMV retinitis in people with AIDS. Michael Marco prepared this position paper…
Bemoaning Virtual Monotherapy In January the Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee of the FDA met to discuss the trial design for salvage therapy in HIV infection. TAG's Yvette Delph was there and prepared this report. The meeting, chaired by Roy Gulick…
The Cost of Generic Drugs in Brazil Indinavir Efavirenz USA $6,000(1) $4,700 Brazil (generic) $2,928 $2,545 Brazil (Merck 2001) $1,029 $920 "Low" HDI(2) country $600 $500 Price per year per person. Human Development Index of the United Nations, composite…
Merck Makes Surprise Announcement of Human Vaccine Trial, Currently Underway "Still Could Fail" While a handful of companies are testing or have tested potential HIV vaccines in human volunteers, none of these trials have generated nearly as much excitement as…
"We have never been against patents. We have been against monopoly." -- Dr. Yusuf Hamied, CEO, Cipla Dear Sirs: We are writing as a coalition of AIDS treatment advocates, educators, and service providers to request that GlaxoSmithKline immediately withdraw from participation…
An international coalition of 65 activist groups and over 100 AIDS activists, educators, health care workers and service providers from six continents and many countries around the world today called on GlaxoSmithKline, one of the world's largest drug companies, to…