Merck Cuts Price of AIDS Drugs in China

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, December 01, 2001

Merck Cuts Price of AIDS Drugs in China

A pharmaceutical company under Merck & Co., a major producer of anti-AIDS drugs, has announced that it will cut the factory prices of two AIDS drugs in the Chinese market from December, this year.

A pharmaceutical company under Merck & Co., a major producer of anti-AIDS drugs, has announced that it will cut the factory prices of two AIDS drugs in the Chinese market from December, this year.

Merck Sharp & Dohme (China) Ltd., based in Shanghai, said via its public relations agency in Beijing that factory prices of Crixivan and Stocrin will be cut by one third, thus greatly reducing the cost of HIV carriers to obtain treatment with the drugs.

The action is the result of long and intensive negotiations with the Ministry of Health of China, and is expected to help slow down the HIV/AIDS epidemic in China, said a press release prepared by the company.

With between 600,000 and 800,000 HIV carriers, China now is facing the huge challenge of providing medical services and finance as the number of AIDS patients continues to climb while the cost of treatment remains high.

It is estimated that an AIDS patient in China has to pay around 100,000 yuan (12,000 dollars) for the cocktail treatment each year,which is unlikely affordable to most patients.

It is the lowest price of protease inhibitor drugs ever offered in China, the company said, noting that the retail price will be finalized after taking import tariffs, tax and other factors into consideration.

The drugs will be applied only in China's market, it added.

Spokespeople from Merck and Ministry of Health were not available for comment at the moment.

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