Hetero offers anti-AIDS drug at $347

By Ramnath Subbu

MUMBAI, MARCH 14. The anti-AIDS retroviral therapy offered by pharmaceutical companies has been in the limelight in the last few weeks with the Mumbai-based Cipla having offered Medicins Sans Frontiers (Doctors without Borders) a cocktail of three drugs at $350 per patient per annum. While the quantum of the order is still under discussion, the Hyderabad-based Hetero Drugs has come up with an offer to the MSF. The offer price for its cocktail is $347 per patient per annum.

Cipla's offer has also prompted others to follow suit and the U.S. pharma multinational Merck last week announced a cut of 50 per cent in its anti-AIDS retroviral prices.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Amar Lulla, joint managing director, Cipla, said, ``Our purpose has been served with others also cutting their prices. More and more companies should come forward with affordable drugs.'' The first batch of Cipla's supply to MSF would be dispatched in the next few weeks. Cipla also offered governments (including the Indian government) the anti-AIDS cocktail at a price of $600 per patient per annum.

Earlier, Cipla had offered the New Delhi-based National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) its anti-AIDS retroviral, Nevirapine which is used in the treatment of mother-to-child (MTC) AIDS cases free of cost. Mr. J. V. R. Prasad Rao, project director, NACO, confirmed the offer. ``The offer was made a few months ago but we still have to conduct feasibility trials on the use of the drug. The six month-long trials are to commence in April and NACO will then consider Cipla's offer,'' said Mr. Rao.

The Hyderabad-based Hetero Drugs is to launch its Nelfinavir, an anti-AIDS drug on March 18. The company had already launched its Indivir (Indinavir) and is to launch the entire range of anti- AIDS drugs by end-April. It also makes cardiac drugs and anti- depressants.

The company is already selling a basket of drugs to Brazil including Lamivudine, Nevirapine, Stavudine and Zidovudine. It has also bagged a $26 million tender to supply active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) to Argentina. Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Dharmesh Shah, director, Business Development, Hetero Drugs, said, ``We started by exporting APIs to Brazil and Argentina and are now in the final stages of registration in Colombia, West Asia and Mexico.''

Hetero has offered Medicins Sans Frontiers (MSF) a basket of 8 anti-AIDS drugs at $347 per patient per annum. Mr. Shah said MSF was considering the offer. ``We met with MSF a couple of months ago and are the only company to offer the entire basket of anti- retrovirals - not only of Lamivudine, Stavudine and Nevirapine (constituting the triple therapy cocktail) but the entire anti- retrovirals basket and the saving would be enormous for them.''

Mr. Shah also claims that Hetero Drugs is the first Indian company to have received permission from the Drug Controller of India to export all anti-retrovirals. The company is in the process of filing for a compulsory licence with the Government of South Africa. ``We have tied up with Aspen Pharmacare, a SA Rand 1.1 billion company and the leading generic company in South Africa. We have already made a technology transfer to them and being a naturalised partner, they can convince the government to issue a compulsory licence. Under TRIPs (Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights), the government can issue a compulsory licence. We want to work there on a cost recovery basis. The Health Ministry of South Africa has already cleared and it is pending with the Finance Ministry. The court case is on but the decision is awaited wherein the government is almost sure of going in for compulsory licence.''

Out of Hetero Drugs' $160 million business, exports constitute around $110 million. The company has five manufacturing facilities in Hyderabad and one in Surat. It is in the final stages of setting up its R&D centre in Hyderabad and this will be ready next month.

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