Malawi Government Announces 20% Antiretroviral Price Cut
The government of Malawi will cut the price of antiretroviral drugs by "at least" 20% before April 2002, Reuters reports. George Liwomba, chair of Malawi's Antiretroviral Drug Committee, said that the price cuts should reduce the cost of a monthly supply of antiretrovirals to "$30.20 or below." The price reduction would be the latest in a series of cuts by the government, which in March halved the price of a monthly supply of antiretrovirals. In July, the government further reduced the price of a month's supply of drugs from $155 to $40. Liwomba said the government will continue to subsidize antiretrovirals, but analysts have said that the price after the new cut will still be too high for many poor people in the country. The National AIDS Commission estimates that 10% of Malawi's population -- one million people -- is HIV-positive (Reuters, 12/3).
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