E-drug: 'No Free Flucanzole for Central America,' says Pfizer
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13 April, 2000
News from Agua Buena
For Immediate Release.....
'No Free Flucanazole for Central America' says Pfizer
In response to a letter sent by Richard Stern of the Agua Buena Human
Rights in Association, Sylvia Varela, General Manager of Pfizer for
Central America has indicated that Pfizer will not be donating Fluconazole
or lowering its prices in Central America.
In a letter dated April 4th, Stern had petitioned Varela to follow the
lead of Pfizer in South Africa and make available Fluconazole free of
charge
for those Central Americans who have no health care coverage and cannot
afford to buy it.
According to information provided by Varela on April 7th, Heather Lauber
of
the New York offices of Pfizer told her that the South African donation
was
a response to a particular situation and that Africa is a "more important
area of the world" with respect to the AIDS epidemic. Varela also told
Stern that she was told by Lauber that in South Africa, there was no
donation as such but that medications would be given out "at cost."
90 percent of Central America's AIDS affected population remains without
access to ARV therapy, and opportunistic infections are common and deadly.
But Fluconazole which is priced by Pfizer at $14 per 200 mg capsule in
the region is well beyond the reach of most people in Central America where
the per capita income in most countries is around $250 per month. There
are, however, some generic versions of Fluconazole available in Central
America, which range in price from $4 to $10 for the same 200 mg capsule.
It is important to note that even a price of $4 per day is simply too
expensive for many poor Central Americans with AIDS who are unable to work
and must depend on charity even for food and shelter.
Sergio Navas, Secretary of the Nicaraguan Network of People Living with
AIDS
also directed a letter to Ms. Varela on April 8th. In his letter Navas
stated "...this is to inform you of the many necessities we face on a
daily basis and that it would be marvelous if you could help us with this
medication (Fluconazole) that is so important for our survival when we
have
opportunistic infections....as in Nicaragua, people die on a daily basis in
Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Belice for lack of access to
Fluconazole."
Nicaraguans living with AIDS have no access to anti-retroviral medications,
except those few who receive them by means of donations.
Stern attempted to contact Varela on April 13th to regarding Navas' letter
and was told that she would be unable to speak him.