A report finds that over 37 million people have been affected by HIV/ AIDs till 2017, and 9.4 lakhs of them have lost their lives due to lack of treatment. Until recently, the cost of HIV treatment was so high that only rich countries could afford it.
The treatment was not within the reach of poor people, hence they were liable to death. The medicines were produced only by an American manufacturing company and America had a total monopoly in HIV medical treatment. They charged heavily.
‘CIPLA’, a top global pharmaceuticals and biotechnology company in India has made a real case for itself as a viable company as it uses the latest technology for high-quality and affordable medicines for all the patients.
In the world where American companies have been charging around $10,000 a year for HIV treatment, this Indian company proved that it is worth the weight in gold as it charges only $8 a month so much so that even the economically backward people would benefit from it.
Indian company nailed it by giving a knock-out punch to the American companies and thus ending its monopoly at the best scene. Not all can afford to buy medicines cost more than $10,000 per person per year. The cost of life-saving drugs is insane as it was beyond the people’s imagination. Hence, it couldn’t reach out to millions of people in poor countries. Owing to this reason, they fail to get good medication and hence they end up dying, which has been the case so far in the globe.
Dr Unni Karunakara, who is the international president of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), decided to turn the tide against HIV/AIDS as the top generic medicines are made in India at an affordable price. There was a stiff competition among producers in India, where there were no patents on medicines of that category until 2005. Today, the price of HIV medicines is around $100 for a year’s treatment.
Interestingly, more than 80% of the HIV medicines we use across the world are manufactured in India. With high-quality medicines at an affordable price range, even the less unfortunate ones affected by HIV can afford this medicine. They need to be switched to improved medicines for a change.
