Global Fund-proposed shake-up to drug pricing framework risks middle-income countries paying more, says MSF

Ahead of the Global Fund replenishment conference in Washington DC this week, international medical humanitarian organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has warned the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria of the consequences of spearheading a new pricing initiative that could result in middle-income countries paying significantly higher prices for medicines to combat diseases, including HIV and tuberculosis.

"MSF programs are already seeing how middle-income countries like Ukraine, Honduras, or Thailand pay exorbitant prices for drugs and vaccines because of the tiered pricing policies pursued by pharmaceutical companies," said Rohit Malpani, director of policy and analysis for MSF's Access Campaign.

"The 'middle-income' label shouldn't hide the fact that the majority of the world's poor actually live in these countries, which often face huge burdens of diseases such as HIV and TB. The fact that the Global Fund is considering locking countries into bad deals that could see them paying higher prices is extremely concerning,” he added.