Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Reuters NewMedia - February 10, 2004
Lisa Richwine and Kim Dixon
Abbott's decision in December to raise the price of the drug Norvir, a key component of many AIDS-fighting cocktails, has generated "a never-before-seen level of outrage" among physicians, said Dr. Benjamin Young, an HIV specialist at Rose Medical Center in Denver.
"It's simply untenable and unethical for a company to raise the price of a life-saving medicine nearly 500 percent," Young said in an interview.
About 200 physicians have agreed to boycott Abbott drugs in favor of alternatives whenever medically appropriate, Young said. Norvir has no equivalent, but physicians can find substitutes for other Abbott products, Young said.
"If there's an equal alternative, we will pursue that actively," Young said.
The doctors also have agreed to ban Abbott sales representatives from their offices and to refuse to participate in any new Abbott-sponsored clinical trials, until the company rescinds the price hike.
Abbott raised the price for 100 milligrams of Norvir, the most common daily dose, to $8.57 from $1.71.
Young and others were scheduled to speak about their protest at a Tuesday afternoon press conference in San Francisco, where top experts were attending a medical meeting on AIDS and other infectious diseases.
Norvir, generically called ritonavir, helps quell the HIV virus that causes AIDS. It is unique in its drug class because it can boost effectiveness of other drugs.
Abbott, which denies wrongdoing, has argued the price increase was long overdue.
"Norvir is still the lowest price" AIDS drug in its class, said Laureen Cassidy, a spokeswoman for the company.
The doctors' protest comes as two states probe whether Abbott is unfairly pricing the medication.
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer both sent subpoenas to Abbott late last week, the company confirmed.
Critics say the Norvir price hike was likely to steer patients to another Abbott product, Kaletra, because it is cheaper than combining Norvir with other AIDS medicines.
AIDS activists late last month asked federal antitrust authorities to investigate the pricing. The Federal Trade Commission would not comment.
Abbott has denied that the Norvir price hike was related to Kaletra.
Abbott shares fell 11 cents to $44.260 in midday trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
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