Merck Adds 3 Nations for Cheaper AIDS Drugs

Merck & Co. said that it agreed to cut prices of two AIDS drugs in Costa Rica, El Salvador and Nicaragua, but not as deeply as in sub-Saharan Africa, where the disease is more prevalent. Merck said annual prices for Crixivan and Stocrin would drop by about 75% to $1,029 and $920 respectively. The pharmaceutical firm has offered to discount prices in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama to the level in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the activist group Agua Buena Human Rights Assn. Merck confirmed it is negotiating with those countries but wouldn’t comment on the prices. In Africa, Crixivan costs $600 yearly and Stocrin costs $500. Pharmaceutical firms are under international pressure to reduce the cost of AIDS drugs in poor countries.