Big Pharma loves to promote all their big innovations, as they should since major diseases have been cured and prevented and this is not insignificant. But is an innovation truly a breakthrough even if very few people can actually afford it?
Such is the case with Truvada, which could wipe out HIV in America yet its enormous price tag makes it impossible for the majority of people who need it to access it. In fact, less than 10 percent of the people who need it can afford the more than $20,000 per year cost of the medication.
This New York Times opinion piece by James Krellenstein, Aaron Lord and Peter Staley points out that making a low-price, generic version of the drug available to every American who needs it would be less than one-tenth the amount that the federal government currently spends on HIV care.
The authors also point out the infuriating truth that American taxpayers and private charities ‘paid for almost all of the clinical research’ that went into developing the drug.
We are outraged and you should be as well, we will keep you posted on efforts to help more people who need the medication gain access.
In the meantime, read the full opinion piece here: https://nyti.ms/2mqoqo5