Gilead’s anti-AIDS drug to cost $1 a day here

NEW DELHI: Viread, the largest selling anti-HIV/AIDS drug in the United States, will be available to patients in India at a special price equivalent of $1 a day, its manufacturer, bio-pharmaceutical major Gilead, announced Sunday.

Gilead has already entered into generic licensing deals with three Indian pharma majors — Emcure Pharmaceuticals, Hetero Drugs and Strides Arcolab.

The Indian firms will make generic versions of Viread and distribute it to 95 low-income countries around the world in a couple of months. “Our endeavour is to provide the widest possible access to our drugs for HIV/AIDS patients. Gilead has devised a tiered product pricing based on a country's economic status and HIV prevalence,” Gilead’s senior vice-president Gregg Alton said.