Urged by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, nine pharmaceutical companies will review the prices of antiretroviral drugs to make the more affordable and accessible, and appropriate for use in low- and middle income countries.
Annan met with the following executives and their respective companies:
- Stephen Saad, Aspen Pharmacare (APN)
- P. V. Ramprasad Reddy, Aurobindo Pharma Ltd. (524804)
- Gary Cohen, Becton Dickinson (BDX)
- Peter R. Dolan, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMY)
- Jean-Pierre Garnier, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)
- B.P.S. Reddy, Hetero Drugs Ltd.
- Christine Poon, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
- Richard T. Clark, Merck & Co., Inc (MRK)
- Malvinder Mohan Singh, Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited (500359)
Following the meeting, Annan issued a statement, enumerating the companies' commitments, and aside from reviewing prices, the companies also agreed to GIVE greater priority to research and development of pediatric formulations of HIV medications and specific diagnostic tools for children.
Read Annan's full statement here.
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