Ecuador's authorization of generic HIV/AIDS drug applauded by US consumer watchdog, calling for others to follow

By opening the door to competition from generic drugmakers, Ecuador is making a critical HIV/AIDS drug much more affordable for that country's public treatment programs - a move that other countries should follow, the US consumer watchdog Public Citizen has declared.

Ecuador's patent office issued a 'compulsory license' for lopinavir/ritonavir, an important HIV/AIDS medicine. The license authorizes generic competition with the patented drug. While the patented version, sold under the trade name Kaletra by US health care major Abbott Laboratories, costs Ecuador's public sector roughly $1,000 per person per year, Ecuador will soon be able to access generics at half that, noted the consumer group.

'Ecuador is setting an example for countries that seek to expand access to lifesaving medicines, but struggle to pay for ever-more expensive drugs,' said Peter Maybarduk, director of Public Citizen's new Access to Medicines Program. 'Competition has consistently proven the most effective way to lower the prices of medicines. Countries should count compulsory licensing among their essential public health policy tools,' he argued.