Firms facing increased pressure to cut cost of drugs . The nongovernmental organisations involved in this action are making a point of saying they understand that Pfizer is not a charity and needs to make a profit, but they will not stop short of industrial action. They stress that the issue surrounding AIDS and the price of drugs is a moral one and that companies could make reasonable profits while making drugs available to many more people. Thrush causes difficulty in swallowing and persistent diarrhoea and the form of meningitis kills. Many provinces and several hospitals cannot afford the drug, and send meningitis sufferers home to die of the disease.
Price is the main issue.
The price to the public sector is considerably less, at R36,33 for a 150mg tablet. The Treatment Action Campaign and Medicins Sans Frontieres are to campaign internationally for the company to reduce its price to around R3 a tablet, which is the price a generic equivalent in Thailand and India would cost SA if it was able to import the drug. The pricing of Diflucan brings into sharp focus both the issues of parallel importing and compulsory licensing. At the moment, Pfizer is politely being asked to cut its prices or to relinquish its license to produce the drug voluntarily. But failing this co-operation, the campaign will push for compulsory licensing of a generic equivalent or for the right to import a cheap generic from another source.