Clinton taps Indian pharma companies

The firms have also agreed to lower the price volatility of artemisinin, the key raw material for artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT), by 70 per cent, said Clinton, whose charitable foundation helped broker the deal.       

The agreements make prices for malaria drugs more affordable and sustainable to help meet growing global demand.

The prices will be available to the 69 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean that make up the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative (CHAI) purchasing consortium.     
"Nearly every life lost to malaria could have been saved with access to effective medicines," Clinton said.        

 

Under the agreements negotiated by CHAI, the Mumbai-based Ipca and Cipla will offer a co-blister formulation of artesunate+amodiaquine (AS+AQ)-one of the most widely used ACTs-at or below an average ceiling price of 48 cents per treatment, a reduction of more than 30 per cent from current market rates.       

They also will offer artemether-lumafantrine, the other most common ACT, at or below an average ceiling price of 91 cents, the current price available from Novartis.        

Among the other manufacturers party to the agreements, the two Mumbai-based firms