Letter to Abbott. Access to Kaletra in China

Mr Robert Dintruff is the Director at Global Care Initiatives

Dear Mr Dintruff,

MSF began antiretroviral treatment in 2001 and is now treating more than 34,000 patients in 28 countries. In our project in China we have over 200 patients receiving ARV, all of them on first line treatment. Nevertheless, we expect to have some patients on second-line regimens in the near future. As you know, lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r, Kaletrae) is one of the WHO recommended second-line drugs.

According to the information coming from the Chinese State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), Kaletra® is registered but not marketed. Not only is MSF concerned about access to Kaletra® at an affordable price for our projects, but also access for the entire Chinese population. By neglecting the people of China, Abbott is failing to fulfill its commitment to broadening "access by providing HIV care products at a loss" to the "programs that need them most".

We therefore urge Abbott to market Kaletra® in China at the price offered to developing countries (US$ 500/year), for both the private and public sector.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation in responding to our letter. We are available for a meeting during the HIV Conference in Rio de Janeiro (24-27 July) in case you are attending the event. We look forward to hearing from you at your earliest possible convenience.

Fernando Pascual Marinez
HIV Focal Pharmacist
MSF Access Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines

Elodie Jambert
Field Pharmacist, MSF China Project