July 2004 Cover
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A class-action lawsuit was filed in San Francisco last month against Abbott Laboratories alleging the drug maker is using a monopoly to overcharge thousands of AIDS patients for the
drug Norvir. The suit, filed by a 50-year-old patient identified as "John Doe," follows one filed earlier this month by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. That action alleges Abbott falsely
advertised that state AIDS programs would be unaffected by Norvir's December price increase-- from almost $50 wholesale for a daily 100-milligram pill per month to over $250.
Norvir plays a booster role when combined with many non-Abbott AIDS drugs, allowing them to stay in the bloodstream longer. Attorneys for the class action claim Abbott
increased Norvir's price in order to direct patients to Abbott's drug Kaletra, a single drug formulation including Norvir. Since Abbott did not increase the price of its Norvir-containing drug Kaletra,
by comparison Kaletra annually costs thousands of dollars less than competitor drugs that need to be combined with Norvir.
Editor's Note: from the San Jose Mercury News
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