AIDS activists protest Abbott drug prices

WHIPPANY, N.J., Feb. 19 (UPI) -- AIDS activists from ACT UP Thursday protested at an Abbott Laboratories plant in New Jersey over the company's pricing policy for the AIDS drug Norvir.

In December, the pharmaceutical maker raised the price of the ritonavir, the generic name for Norvir, by about 400 percent, ACT UP spokesman John Riley told United Press International.

The price hike could send the annual cost of the drug, when used at full strength, to $45,000 per year, making it the most expensive AIDS drug on the market, ACT UP said in a statement.

In response to an outcry from the AIDS community, Abbott on Feb. 6 froze the price of Norvir at the pre-increase level for patients who purchased the drug through special AIDS Drug Assistance Programs, which Riley said are used by about half of AIDS patients.

He said ADAP programs nationwide are struggling financially, however, because their funding is tied to drugmaker rebates, which means a lot of bureaucratic paperwork and an uncertain cash flow -- even without the extra burden of handling the Norvir claims. Some programs have capped enrollment and others are limiting drugs.

Private insurers are being charged the new price, Riley said, meaning many AIDS patients will max out their drug benefits. Abbott said on its Web site it would give Norvir free to patients who exceed their annual drug coverage maximum and to patients without insurance.