Amid controversy over access to a lifesaving tuberculosis pill, a new contracting effort is expected to lower the price for the medicine by as much as 55% in dozens of low- and middle-income countries, according to a group that administers a global fund for distributing TB drugs. But advocacy groups continue to argue that Johnson & Johnson, which makes the pill, has stymied wider access.
At issue is the cost of bedaquiline, which is the backbone of different combination therapies used to treat multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis. But ever since the pill was approved for this purpose more than a decade ago, a combination of pricing and patent policies pursued by J&J have made it hard for numerous lower-income countries to obtain the medication.
Over the past few years, the company took various steps to blunt criticism by lowering the price. In July, J&J reached a deal with the Stop TB Partnership, which was created by the United Nations, to allow generic companies to make cheaper versions in dozens of low- and middle-income countries. Yet advocacy groups argued barriers still remained for many countries with limited resources.
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