Policy Wise

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In the post on patents, we had briefly talked about partnerships between pharmaceutical companies and charitable organizations to develop low costs drugs for the developing world. One such attempt is already successful,

The medicine, called ASAQ, is a pill combining artemisinin, invented in China using sweet wormwood and hailed as a miracle malaria drug, with amodiaquine, an older drug that still works in many malarial areas.A treatment will cost less than $1 for adults and less than 50 cents for children. Adults with malaria will take only two pills a day for three days, and the pill will come in three smaller once-a-day sizes for infants, toddlers and youngsters. [link]

Sanofi-Aventis is not patenting the drug which help the development of generics, further driving down the prices. most interestingly, the company is planning to offer the drug at two different prices, it argues that even in the developing world, some can afford to pay the full price. This makes sense as long as the company is able to ensure access of the cheaper variety to the poor. As I argued before, more than profits from the developing world, the drug companies are more interested in protecting their home turf. The good publicity such a gesture will generate will certainly not harm it’s cause.

Also, some good news from Uganda where a cheap combination of drugs has managed to wipe out Malaria in H.I.V infected children.

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