# E-DRUG: Cheap AZT for Pregnant Moms

**URL:** <https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-cheap-azt-for-pregnant-moms/2237>\
**Category:** e-drug\
**Created:** [March 5, 1998, 10:13pm UTC](https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-cheap-azt-for-pregnant-moms/2237 "1998-03-05T22:13:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![srahmad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@srahmad](https://talk.edrugplus.org/u/srahmad)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 1998, 10:13pm UTC](https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-cheap-azt-for-pregnant-moms/2237/1 "1998-03-05T22:13:10Z")

</div>

E-DRUG: Prices Cut in Poor Countries  
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Cheap AZT for Pregnant Moms  
------------------------------------  
By Dirk Beveridge The Associated Press

N E W Y O R K, March 5 \_ Drugmaker Glaxo Wellcome PLC said today it  
will slash the price of the AIDS drug AZT for pregnant women in poor  
countries to help minimize the spread of the deadly disease to their  
infants.

The Glaxo plan marks the first time a giant drug company has cut the price  
of an AIDS drug in order to get it to the developing nations most affected  
by the disease.  
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  
Ninety percent of the people with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, live in  
the Third World, according to UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Program on  
HIV-AIDS.  
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  
Researchers say that giving AZT to pregnant women who suffer from HIV can  
sharply cut the chances their babies will be born with the disease.  
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  
$800-$1000 Price Slashed  
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  
The treatment can cost between $800 and $1,000 in U.S. hospitals, where it  
is now routine. Under the new plan, the drug will be three to four times  
cheaper in the developing world.  
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  
About 600,000 children worldwide died last year of AIDS contracted from  
their mothers, and UNAIDS said 550,000 infants are infected at birth every  
year.  
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  
In 1994, researchers found that giving AZT to pregnant women infected with  
HIV for several months prior to birth could reduce transmission of the  
virus to infants by two-thirds.  
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  
Two weeks ago, researchers in Thailand found that a shorter treatment\_just  
three weeks of AZT pills given to women daily\_halved transmission rates.

Study Led to Discounts  
It was that finding that prompted London-based Glaxo to cut its price,  
according to a report today in The Wall Street Journal.  
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  
Glaxo Wellcome said it decided to offer the discounts following discussions  
with officials from UNAIDS and other health officials.  
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  
"Our commitment is not only to support an effective public health  
initiative, but to offer pricing that satisfies World Health Organization  
and World Bank standards for cost-effective medical care," said Peter  
Young, a Glaxo Wellcome vice president.  
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  
"This reflects our commitment to continue working with the international  
donor community and national governments to find ways of reducing the  
number of new infections and improving the care of people with HIV-AIDS in  
developing countries," Young said.  
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  
Copyright 1998 Associated Press. All rights reserved.  
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  
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