December 24, 2002
Ever had an unpopular opinion? ... Let's take five with Moira Gunn. This is "Five Minutes".
Ever had an unpopular opinion? You know what I'm talking about. After you say it out loud a few times, you get pretty careful about when and where you express it. Of course, the most important thing is to quietly maintain your opinion and see what plays out. In my case, I got lucky: one of mine, repeatedly criticized for not being feasible - is actually being implemented by a publicly-traded company.
Gilead Sciences successfully developed a time-released, once-a-day pill called Viread. 75,000 HIV-infected Americans now use this drug, and it's actually proven successful for some strains which were previously drug-resistant.
That's the technology story. Now, here's the ethical story: After a year of success in the general population and a year of corporate profitability, Gilead Sciences has announced it will sell the drug at "no profit" in the 68 least-developed countries in the world. As designated by the United Nations, that would be all 53 African countries and 15 others ranging from Cambodia to Haiti.
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Other pharmaceutical firms have announced similar plans, but this announcement is especially important. First of all, this is a very young company, and this is very early in this product's life cycle. Traditionally, new products are coveted for their ability to reap high revenues, the quickest way to recover research and development costs and generate high profits. So, this is not the typical time for a young company with a new drug to make such a decision. Yet, in doing so, mankind benefits enormously.
You see, this drug is an AIDS drug. In the United States, we have just under a million Americans who are HIV-positive. Yet, Africa counts 30 million HIV-infected people, with only 30,000 receiving antiretrovirals. Africa also hosts 90% of all the children living with HIV. So, no matter what else you may think, Africa needs this drug, and it needs this drug now.
What must also be understood is that this pharmaceutical technology has progressed to a point that it's ready for global dissemination. It doesn't require expensive storage or elaborate equipment, and it can be taken by many people in many circumstances.
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What's being done here is not a "perfect" answer, and there's been criticism that any price is too high. But from my standpoint, this pharmaceutical company is doing its appropriate part - the rest of the economic equation still needs to be filled in. International agencies, governments, foundations and groups of individuals must to do their part to cover the costs of these drugs wherever they are needed.
Now certainly, the cost of healthcare, reasonable profitability and medical insurance needs to be addressed in our society. Just a few days ago, I was delighted to hear my doctor describe a new time-released improvement on my own daily medication. Actually, I was delighted right up until the pharmacist handed me a month's supply, and said, "That'll be $102."
Still, I started out this commentary recalling what it's like to have an unpopular opinion, especially one criticized for being impractical. I guess I really didn't say what that unpopular opinion was, although you may have heard me express it before: "Once we develop a medical technology that works, it's inhumane to deny it to any human."
I'm Moira Gunn. This is Five Minutes.
