O acordo Abbott e Ministério da Saúde: Kaletra.

Pode ser notícia antiga, que perdi em viagem recente. Mas, houve acordo entre o Ministério da Saúde e a Abbott sobre a compra do Kaletra. Abaixo, o comentário do blogueiro do The Wall Street Journal. Ele destaca a questão própria de países como o Brasil - middle income - e, o temor da empresa de ação semelhante à ocorrida com efavirenz. Para os incrédulos, um texto provocativo. Abbott & Brazil Agree on Price of AIDS Drug Posted by Jacob Goldstein Brazil and Abbott Labs — two key players in the recent debate over the price of AIDS drugs in the developing world — have agreed on a price for Abbott’s drug Kaletra. The new price, about $1,000 per year per patient, will save the Brazilian government some $10 million per year. For Abbott, the deal removes the threat of Brazil issuing what’s known as a compulsory license, a move that would allow the country to begin using a generic version of the drug. Earlier this year, Brazil took that step for the first time, issuing a license for Merck’s AIDS drug efavirenz. Middle-income countries such as Brazil — richer than sub-Saharan African nations but poorer than the developed world — have become a flashpoint for debates over drug pricing. The countries argue that their citizens will die without access to cheaper drugs, while the drug industry argues that it needs to make a profit in the developing world in order to fund research and development. Also this year, Thailand, another middle-income country, issued a compulsory license for Kaletra. Abbott responded by refusing to sell several new drugs in that country, though the company later took a more conciliatory approach. After that dustup, Abbott announced an agreement with the World Health Organization to sell Kaletra in the developing world for $1,000 per patient per year, which the company said is cheaper than the price of generics.