by Bob Roehr
The nine pharmaceutical companies selling HIV drugs in the United States received grades ranging from B to F in a "report card" issued by the AIDS Treatment Activists Coalition on Sept. 10.
The cumulative grade for each company was based upon evaluations in five different categories: their investment in an ongoing research pipeline of new drugs; early access to experimental drugs for those who have no other options; price; their willingness to interact with the community throughout their drug development process; and the veracity of their marketing.
The focus of the evaluation was primarily on their operations in the U.S., though the conduct of clinical trials has become international. The report covered the period up until June of this year. ATAC hopes to make the report card an annual evaluation as a tool to highlight company practices and move them toward behavior that is more responsive to community concerns.
The companies earning the grade of B were Merck & Co. (Isentress/raltegravir) and Tibotec (Prezista/darunavir and Intelence/etravirine).
Pfizer (Selzentry/maraviroc, Viracept/nelfinavir and Rescriptor/delavirdine) and powerhouse Gilead Sciences (Atripla/tenofovir + emtricitabine + efavirenz, Truvada/tenofovir + emtricitabine, Viread/tenofovir and Emtriva/emtricitabine) garnered a C+.
A grade of C- went to Bristol-Myers Squibb (Sustiva/efavirenz and Reyataz/atazanavir) and GlaxoSimthKline (Combivir/zidovudine (AZT) + lamivudine (3TC), those drugs sold individually and Lexiva/fosamprenavir).
Boehringer Ingelheim (Viramune/nevirapine and Aptivus/tipranavir) came in with a D+, while Roche (Fuzeon/enfuvirtide, Invirase/saquinavir and Viracept/nelfinavir) earned a D.
Abbott Laboratories (Norvir/ritonavir and Kaletra/lopinavir + ritonavir) earned the only failing grade. One major factor was its 400-percent price increase for ritonavir in December 2003. It is used to boost protease inhibitor drugs made by other companies and substantially increased the cost of therapy for all those who need to take a protease inhibitor. The company no longer meets with the community and has long stopped the development of new HIV drugs.
ATAC is a small non-profit national group of treatment activists working with the NIH, FDA, academic researchers and the pharmaceutical industry to advance research into new drugs and strategies for treating HIV/AIDS. It is largely volunteer, with only a limited paid administrative staff.
"The report's findings show that some pharmaceutical companies are clearly doing a much better job than others," said Lynda Dee, a member of ATAC and president of AIDS Action Baltimore.
"The common denominator among those companies who consistently score higher is their willingness to partner with the HIV advocacy community early on in the course of drug development, as well as implementing its recommendations," she said.
Bob Huff is a member of ATAC and works for the AIDS think tank Treatment Action Group. He said, "People with HIV, especially those who have run out of treatment options, need new alternatives for the long run. Pharmaceutical companies need to work closely with the community to get there."
The full report and accompanying documentation is available at http://www.atac-usa.org.
Disclosure: I am a member of ATAC and participated in discussions but not the voting on grades awarded to the companies.
