HIV, Hepatitis and TB patients and Health activists blame G-lead Company for pharma monopoly

14 April 2023, 9:43 am

Byamukama Alozious > byamukamaalazious1993@gmail.com

Civil Society Organizations and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Uganda Cares have condemned the greedy practices of Gilead Sciences, a one of the largest biopharmaceutical companies in the world which activists claim that are putting life-saving drugs for HIV and Hepatitis C out of reach through exorbitant prices 

Activists say a continent like Africa is likely to suffer greatly from HIV/AIDS burden because Africa’s response to the epidemic remains dependent on international donor funding, with most countries on the continent in debt distress or at risk of it.

The Activists and civil society organizations blame Gilead Company is prioritizing profit over people’s health by overpricing its drugs and refusal to introduce cheaper generic versions and refused to register some medications in lower-income countries, further intensifying  the access barriers.

“Gilead has harmed people living with HIV worldwide for over 20 years by securing continual patents, known as ‘ever greening, and generating billions of dollars by creating a monopoly on some of the most effective and well-tolerated antiretroviral drugs to treat HIV,” said AHF Africa Bureau Chief Dr. Penninah Iutung.

“As a leading global HIV/AIDS organization with over 1.7 million patients in care across 45 countries, including nearly 871,000 in 13 African countries, it is the responsibility of AHF to take a stand and call out Gilead so that governments – including the government of Uganda, civil society organizations and decision-makers everywhere put collective pressure on Gilead to prioritize lives over obscenely high profits,” added Dr. Penninah lutung

 Meanwhile, people living hepatitis C, the drug costs $1,000 per pall, and a 3 month course of treatment has a retail price of over US$ 90,000 in the US. A generic version of the same drug costs only US$ 4 per pill in India, but according to Médecins Sans Fronteres, Gilead has excluded 50 middle income countries from accessing generic discounted price

“Ugandans deserve access to affordable HIV and hepatitis C medications without being held hosting by Gilead greed and we call upon the governments of Uganda to join the  advocacy against it Gilead’s greed  to ensure that lifesaving medications are affordable and accessible to all who need them” Says Kenneth Mwehonge, Executive Director, Coalition for Health Promotion and Social Development (HEP)

Henry Magala, Country director Uganda Cares says,”Gilead is exploiting patent Monopolies on blockbuster drugs to enrich itself and its shareholders and we want the world to know about this company’s greedy level over lives’’