Amid controversy over access to a lifesaving tuberculosis pill, a new contracting effort is expected to lower the price for the medicine by as much as 55% in dozens of low and middle-income countries, according to a group that administers a global fund for distributing TB drugs. But advocacy groups continue to argue that Johnson & Johnson, which makes the pill, has stymied wider access.
At issue is the cost of bedaquiline, which is the backbone of different combination therapies used to treat multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis. But ever since the pill was approved for this purpose more than a decade ago, a combination of pricing and patent policies pursued by J&J have made it hard for numerous poor countries to obtain the medication.
Over the past few years, the company took various steps to blunt criticism by lowering the price. In July, J&J reached a deal with the STOP TB Partnership, which was created by the United Nations, to allow generic companies to make cheaper versions in dozens of low and middle-income countries. Yet advocacy groups argued barriers still remained for many countries with limited resources.