Cipla responds to Glaxo's CEO on its price cuts

January 16, 2002

Amar Lulla, Director of Cipla, writes:

Hopefully Sir Sykes lashing out emanates from ignorance.

I am sure he means well.

Sir Sykes perhaps has not been informed of the developments

in India, both on the availability of AIDS drugs and their pricing.

Zidovudine was launched in India as early as 1993. Since then the

price has been consistently reduced and now stand at around one

third. Similarly, other molecules such as Stavudine, Lamivudine,

Nevirapine, Efavirenz have been launched and their prices have been

slashed from time to time. Cipla donated Nevirapine to the

Governments of India, Kenya, Sudan, Zambia and Cameroon for prevention

of MTCT. We would be very happy to share the facts with Sir

Sykes in case he cares to look at them.

Sir Sykes also has perhaps overlooked the fact that Cipla's

" rhetoric and publicity " offer of supply of cheap AIDS drugs lead to

supply of these drugs to Algeria, Bahamas, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central

African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Iran, Ivory

Coast, Jamaica, Kenya, Liberia, Macao, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique,

Myanmar, Nigeria, Peru, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam

and Zambia.

Sir Sykes also perhaps has missed out reading in the

international press that his company in June 2001 offered cheap AIDS

drugs to 63 countries. Would his company have done this without

Cipla's " rhetoric and publicity " offer? Did he also miss out Mercks

offer to slash AIDS drugs prices in March 2001? Did he also miss out

Pfizer's offer of free AIDS drugs to poorer nations in June 2001 and

did he miss out BMS offer to sell AIDS drugs in Africa at below cost

in March 2001? WERE ALL THESE OFFERS ALSO " RHETORIC AND PUBLICITY " ?

Let Sir Sykes do his bit and let the Indian companies do

theirs in making available AIDS drugs to dying millions.

With kind regards,

Yours sincerely,

Amar Lulla

Director Cipla

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Cross posting from<aidsact@...>

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