Maker Distributing AIDS-Linked Pneumonia Drug to Poor Patients

Lyphomed Inc. has been distributing its drug pentamidine, used to combat AIDS-linked pneumonia, free to poor patients, the company said Wednesday.

The company announced its plans to give away the drug in February, but the actual distribution was held up until after the drug won full government approval in June, said spokeswoman Melissa Marsden.

Community health organizations were notified of the availability of pentamidine for the poor and for those who lacked insurance to cover its costs.

She said there have been no recent talks within the company about reducing the cost of the drug to the paying public. Lyphomed has been accused of overcharging for the substance.

Lyphomed’s action represents the first time a company has distributed an approved drug to poor patients free of charge, company officials and a federal Food and Drug Administration spokesman said.

Since 1984, Lyphomed has produced an injectable form of the drug for use on patients who already have contracted pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, a life-threatening form of pneumonia that is the leading cause of death among AIDS patients.

In June, the company obtained approval for marketing an aerosol version taken once every four weeks by people likely to contract that form of pneumonia.

Lyphomed charges about $100 wholesale for a monthly dose. Patients pay up to $200 for the same dose through doctors and pharmacies. The company said its charge is appropriate, given the research money it spent developing the drug.