NIH Rejects Petition About AbbVie Pricing For Norvir AIDS Drug

The US National Institutes of Health has rejected a so-called march-in petition that was sought by several non-profit groups that hoped to make and sell the Norvir HIV medication sold by AbbVie (ABBV). They sought to do so because the drug was created with federal funds and is currently much more expensive in the US than in other countries with comparable incomes (here is the petition). Norvir is commonly used in HIV drug cocktails, including the Kaletra AIDS pill. Abbott Laboratories, which last year spun off AbbVie, battled patient advocates, consumers and even a rival drugmaker after raising the price by some 400 percent in 2003, but only in the US. The move prompted shareholder resolutions, protests at Abbott (ABT) headquarters, a boycott by doctors and state Attorney General investigations. A survey conducted last year found that prices charged in eight, high-income countries for a single 100mg tablet or capsule ranged from $1.02 to $2.16, compared with $10.29 for the average wholesale price in the US and $12.63 for a cash payment at a CVS pharmacy in the Washington DC area, according to the petition request sent to the NIH, according to the march-in petition (here is the petition). The petitioners also asked the NIH to set a policy that would grant march-in requests when US residents face substantially higher prices than the patent owners charge in other countries with comparable incomes. The petition was signed by the American Medical Students Association, the US Publi...
Source: Pharmalot - Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: Source Type: blogs