Behind Cipla's Offer of Cheap AIDS Drugs: Potent Mix of Motives

In addition to accomplishing humanitarian objectives by offering the sale of low-priced generic copies of AIDS drugs, Cipla owner Yusuf K. Hamied may have been motivated by a desire to establish his company's name outside India and to convince the Indian government to preserve the rights of generic producers. The offer has made Cipla a player in United Nations initiatives to lower AIDS drug prices and has helped spearhead an effort by major pharmaceutical companies to further reduce prices. Cipla's pressuring of the Indian government to place import duties on lamivudine and to loosen its price control policies indicates that the company does not always act in the interest of reducing drug prices. The company's proposal to sell AIDS drug through Doctors Without Borders may be a shrewd marketing move given that the humanitarian group does not have the expertise to globally distribute pharmaceuticals and that local doctors may lack the training to dispense and properly dose the medications.

Other CDC News for March 12, 2001

South Africa May Cite Crisis to Lower Cost of AIDS Drugs Yale Pressed to Help Cut Drug Costs in Africa Merck & Co. Advertisement Behind Cipla's Offer of Cheap AIDS Drugs: Potent Mix of Motives	Africa: Ivory Coast Makes Deal for Cheaper HIV Drugs AIDS Permeates Uganda Politics Too Public Health Spending Up in City, Town of Burlington; Sexually Transmitted Disease Cases Jumped 50 Percent From 1999 Russians Admit to 300,000 HIV Cases
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