Question
How much do ARVs cost in developing countries?
26 March 2012. Related: Access to treatment, All topics.
Are all antiretrovirals treatments as costly as $12000 to $ 15000 per year per person?
Are cheaper generic medicines used in developing countries equally effective and side effects free as to HAART? Do they assure same life expectancy?
What is the cost of tripple combination dose antiretrovirals treatments per month per person?
Is HAART the only effective treatment for HIV?
Is there any chance of getting cheaper HAART in coming couple of years?
Answer
Your question had a few different points and I will try to answer each one. Can I ask which country you are writing from and whether you yourself are on HIV treatment?
First of all I’d like to make sure that you understand the term HAART. HAART is not one specific combination of HIV drugs. It stands for Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Treatment. This is another term for ‘combination therapy’ where three or more HIV drugs are used together. Sometimes all three drugs will be in one pill, other times they are separate. For more information about combination therapy please take a look at our guide at this link.
Secondly you asked whether generic drugs are as effective as originator drugs (the brand-name drugs). Generic drugs contain the same chemical compounds as originator drugs. In order to be licensed they need to show that they are the same as the original. So yes, they are just as effective as the same drug from the original pharmaceutical company. The only drawback with generic drugs is that, because of laws around drug patents, sometimes the newest drugs from the big companies aren’t available yet through generic companies. If you’d like to find out more about this you can look at MSF’s Access to Essential Medicines Campaign website at this link.
Thirdly you asked how much combination therapy costs per month per person. There are a lot of variations here. Prices differ from one country to the next, depending on deals made between governments and drugs companies. Different combinations also cost different amounts. And many different generic companies produce the drugs, each with their own prices. Take the combination of efavirenz , tenofovir and FTC. This is a WHO recommended first line combination. In developing countries the cost of this treatment with the originator drugs is between $613-$1033 per person per year. The same combination, from generic companies, cost between $219-243 per person per year. Different combinations have different prices. All of these drugs are much more expensive in developed countries. MSF has produced a very detailed report on this which you can view at this link.
You also asked if HAART is the only effective treatment for HIV. The answer is yes, the only proven way to effectively treat HIV in the long term is through combination therapy of ARVs.
Finally you asked about the possibility of future price reductions for combination therapy. This is something which activists around the world are campaigning for. The MSF website I have suggested above will give you an idea of the different issues around this question. If you are interested in finding out more please let me know where you live and I will try to link you to a local organisation.
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