AHF Backs FTC Challenge to Big Pharma Junk Patents
May 03 2024 - 1:44PM
Business Wire
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) voiced support for the U.S.
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) taking action this week to challenge
several major pharmaceutical companies, including GSK, for
anticompetitive use of so-called junk patents that prevent generic
competition and keep drug prices artificially high.
“Big pharma is abusing the patent system by filing multiple
derivative patents on existing drugs – which is not innovation –
it’s greed. They pull every trick in the book to extend lucrative
monopolies on a wide range of treatments for HIV, diabetes, asthma,
weight loss, and more, and the public is left paying the bill,”
said AHF President Michael Weinstein. “We applaud the FTC and the
Biden administration for scrutinizing these practices to protect
public health and ensure affordable access to vital medicines in
the United States.”
Around the world, GSK has kept several middle-income countries,
including Colombia and Trinidad and Tobago, from accessing generic
versions of the HIV drug dolutegravir by leveraging their patent
monopoly to force the countries to purchase the GSK-branded version
of the drug at a much higher cost. AHF has worked closely with
civil society partners to address these abuses.
In a big win for HIV treatment access advocates, Colombia
recently issued a compulsory license on dolutegravir, which will
allow it to treat as many as 27 people with generics for the cost
of one branded regimen.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS
organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to
over 1.9 million clients in 47 countries worldwide in the US,
Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and
Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website:
www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter:
@aidshealthcare and Instagram: @aidshealthcare
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U.S. MEDIA CONTACT: Ged Kenslea, Senior Director,
Communications, AHF +1 323 308 1833 work +1.323.791.5526 mobile
gedk@aidshealth.org Denys Nazarov, Director of Global Policy
& Communications, AHF +1.323.308.1829 denys.nazarov@ahf.org