Sign our petition to fight high market prices on Bedaquiline, a life saving tuberculosis drug manufactured by Johnson and Johnson. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF or Doctors without Borders) needs your voice in advocating for those without one. Unable to pay for Bedaquiline, tuberculosis patients are forced to endure older, more toxic TB drugs that risk their lives. Together, we can call out the poor business practices engaged by Johnson and Johnson and raise awareness for the necessity of a lower market price for Bedaquiline.
What is Bedaquiline?
- New tuberculosis drug therapy used in replacement to older, more toxic TB treatments
- One of four medicines needed for a treatment regimen for drug-resistant TB (DR-TB)
- Approved in 2012 but new guidelines in 2019 widened scope of prescribing
- MSF (DWB) teamed up with Johnson and Johnson to develop, create, and clinically test Bedaquiline
- Current market price: $400 per six-month treatment course (Set by J&J and not approved by MSF)
- Costs $45 to manufacture a 6 month supply
Drug Resistant Tuberculosis
- Airborne acquired bacterial infection of the lungs
- Symptoms include bloody cough, weight loss, difficulty breathing
- TB bacteria destroys and attacks lung tissue and can spread to brain, liver, and other organs
- Normal TB therapy is ineffective towards DR-TB
- Previous to bedaquiline, treatments had detrimental effects to the body
- Possible side effects- psychosis, deafness, blindness, death
What Now?
- Not being able to afford bedaquiline, DR-TB patients are forced to endure previous, toxic treatments
- MSF’s Call to Action:
- Created an international coalition to lower cost of DR-TB to be $1 a day ($180 per 6 month supply)
- Still can be profitable if even sold as $.25 a day
Updates
November 1, 2019
The price gap between production cost and market retail is indefensible. I am currently prepping a formal letter to the executives at Johnson and Johnson.
4 Comments
It is urgent that J &J lowers it selling price of betaquiline so that it is affordable for developing countries to purchase it for its most vulnerable citizens.
I understand your reasoning, Avinash. I do agree that there should be a type of "incentive" for the drug companies to research, develop, and manufacture life saving drugs- however, there I believe that there should be mutual understanding that ultimately, the reasoning behind creation of these drugs are to save lives, not for profit. Yes, pharmaceuticals are a temporary bandage in aiding in long term health crises but it takes time to fully eradicate certain diseases (particularly drug resistant strains of bacteria)- time, that unfortunately, these MDR-TB patients do not have. Thank you for sharing your insight! :)
Corporations should be held accountable for their actions in all cases.
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Sign our petition to fight high market prices on Bedaquiline, a life saving tuberculosis drug manufactured by Johnson and Johnson. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF or Doctors without Borders) needs your voice in advocating for those without one. Unable to pay for Bedaquiline, tuberculosis patients are forced to endure older, more toxic TB drugs that risk their lives. Together, we can call out the poor business practices engaged by Johnson and Johnson and raise awareness for the necessity of a lower market price for Bedaquiline.
What is Bedaquiline?
- New tuberculosis drug therapy used in replacement to older, more toxic TB treatments
- One of four medicines needed for a treatment regimen for drug-resistant TB (DR-TB)
- Approved in 2012 but new guidelines in 2019 widened scope of prescribing
- MSF (DWB) teamed up with Johnson and Johnson to develop, create, and clinically test Bedaquiline
- Current market price: $400 per six-month treatment course (Set by J&J and not approved by MSF)
- Costs $45 to manufacture a 6 month supply
Drug Resistant Tuberculosis
- Airborne acquired bacterial infection of the lungs
- Symptoms include bloody cough, weight loss, difficulty breathing
- TB bacteria destroys and attacks lung tissue and can spread to brain, liver, and other organs
- Normal TB therapy is ineffective towards DR-TB
- Previous to bedaquiline, treatments had detrimental effects to the body
- Possible side effects- psychosis, deafness, blindness, death
What Now?
- Not being able to afford bedaquiline, DR-TB patients are forced to endure previous, toxic treatments
- MSF’s Call to Action:
- Created an international coalition to lower cost of DR-TB to be $1 a day ($180 per 6 month supply)
- Still can be profitable if even sold as $.25 a day
Updates
November 1, 2019
The price gap between production cost and market retail is indefensible. I am currently prepping a formal letter to the executives at Johnson and Johnson.
4 Comments
I understand that such drugs are not easy to make, but eliminating infectious diseases must be a common goal of mankind. Surely, there must be another way to 'compensate,' if one will, the manufacturer? If the goal is to eliminate Tuberculosis - as I am sure it is - the drug is useless if people in developing nations (where the disease is most prominent) are unable to use it.
It is urgent that J &J lowers it selling price of betaquiline so that it is affordable for developing countries to purchase it for its most vulnerable citizens.
I understand your reasoning, Avinash. I do agree that there should be a type of "incentive" for the drug companies to research, develop, and manufacture life saving drugs- however, there I believe that there should be mutual understanding that ultimately, the reasoning behind creation of these drugs are to save lives, not for profit. Yes, pharmaceuticals are a temporary bandage in aiding in long term health crises but it takes time to fully eradicate certain diseases (particularly drug resistant strains of bacteria)- time, that unfortunately, these MDR-TB patients do not have. Thank you for sharing your insight! :)
Corporations should be held accountable for their actions in all cases.
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I understand that such drugs are not easy to make, but eliminating infectious diseases must be a common goal of mankind. Surely, there must be another way to 'compensate,' if one will, the manufacturer? If the goal is to eliminate Tuberculosis - as I am sure it is - the drug is useless if people in developing nations (where the disease is most prominent) are unable to use it.