Today AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) announced that it has banned pharmaceutical sales representatives from Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) from calling on AHF's medical providers and staff in its sixteen U.S. healthcare centers. The decision is based on BMS' refusal to lower the price of its key AIDS drug Reyataz for cash-strapped AIDS Drug Assistance Programs.
“Every other major AIDS drug company has responded to this crisis by agreeing to increase their assistance to ADAPs in the form of price reductions, increased rebates and other meaningful contributions. However, BMS has refused to do its part. This is unacceptable”
In a letter sent to BMS CEO Lamberto Andreotti, dated July 22, 2010, AHF President Michael Weinstein and AHF Chief of Medicine/U.S. Homayoon Khanlou, M.D. state:
As AHF has repeatedly pointed out to BMS regarding this issue, the high price charged for Reyataz is contributing to a crisis that has left thousands of patients without access to lifesaving AIDS treatment.
As of the date of this letter, there are 1,879 people on ADAP waiting lists for AIDS medications. In addition, ADAPs are raising eligibility requirements that are shutting out even more people from the programs. This crisis is quickly becoming worse as many larger ADAPs are being forced to stop providing treatment to new and existing patients. For example, Florida, which has the third largest HIV/AIDS population in the country, recently instated a waiting list that now has over 600 patients on it.
In order to help alleviate the crisis, other major AIDS drug manufacturers have agreed to significant reductions in the pricing of their lifesaving AIDS medications to ADAPs, including Merck and Company, Johnson & Johnson's Tibotec Therapeutics, Gilead Sciences Inc., Viiv Healthcare (a new drug company formed in a partnership between GSK and Pfizer) and Abbott Labs. But, not BMS. Meanwhile, twelve states have instituted waiting lists. And the number of people waiting to access medicines continues to balloon. In Florida, the waiting list is increasing at a rate of 250 to 300 people per month.
"Every other major AIDS drug company has responded to this crisis by agreeing to increase their assistance to ADAPs in the form of price reductions, increased rebates and other meaningful contributions. However, BMS has refused to do its part. This is unacceptable," said Michael Weinstein, AIDS Healthcare Foundation President. "ADAPs cannot continue to subsidize the high price of Reyataz at the expense of people's lives."
The AHF letter asks Mr. Andreotti to inform BMS pharmaceutical sales representatives that they are no longer granted access to AHF Healthcare Centers, which serve more than 11,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in California, Florida and Washington, D.C.
"As a treatment provider, AHF's mission is to deliver high quality medical care and services to provide for the health and wellbeing of people living with HIV/AIDS," said Dr. Homayoon Khanlou, Chief of Medicine/US. "Since the current price of Reyataz interferes with this mission, we cannot in good conscience allow BMS representatives to access our clinics."
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