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From: Wounded.Bird@f38.n135.z1.fidonet.org (Wounded Bird)
Newsgroups: sci.med.aids
Subject: AZT
Message-ID: <29362@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU>
Date: 20 Nov 89 19:48:30 GMT
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Organization: FidoNet node 1:135/38 - C-Board, Miami FL
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Approved: aids@cs.ucla.edu
Archive-number: 1497

> I keep hearing criticisms of the drug companies regarding the cost of AZT,
>Pentamidine, or even some of the newer heart medicines.  Now my understanding
>of the whole business is that the initial price is high because the drug
>companies are attempting to recoup the cost of development and getting FDA
>approval.  If this were not done, then we'd never see a new drug because no
>one can afford it.

That is a general cause for high pricing however AZT along with some other
drugs like DDI were developed by the NIH or NICH some years ago under taxpayer  
funded cancer research. They did not work for the treatment of cancer and were  
"shelved". Obviously, there is little justification for huge development costs  
in these cases. The NIH has subsequently placed "reasonable selling price"  
clauses in it's contracts awarded for sole manufacturing rights which were not  
present in the agreement with Burroughs Wellcome.

The price of pentamadine is roughly $26 in England and europe and $99.40 here
in the U.S. The criticism is directed to the disparity in pricing when a
company is given sole rights to produce it here. It all boils down to
competitive vs. monopolistic marketing. The thought being it is better to
allow gouging and _have_ the drug available than low prices and no incentive
to produce.

The other side of the story are the _people_ who cannot obtain the drugs due
to lack of personal funds, the insurance companies who use any contract
loophole to avoid paying the high cost of these treatments and the states who
run out of alloted medicaid funds. The people afflicted with the diseases pay
the ultimate price of these policies.

A PWA with NO current opportunistic infections will probably incurr the  
following monthly costs:

AZT (500 mg daily).................... $263.
Acyclovir (1000 mg daily)..............  92.
Aerosol Pentamidine...................  285.
Monthly blood work....................+- 75.
Doctors (1 monthly visit)..............  55.
                                       -------
Total ................................  $770.

That figure goes up dramatically if infections are present.
The relative expense of AZT has dropped due to the efficacy trials. The known  
effective dosage used to be 1200mg per day rather than 500mg above.

 135/38 933 151/1003 265/7 103/501

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