NEW DELHI, India, September 7 /PRNewswire/ --

- Open Letter Print Ad to Appear Today in Major Indian Newspapers
Includes Chart Comparing Cipla Drug Prices in India vs. Africa; AHF Urges
Lower Prices, Greater Access for Indians in Need

As part of its ongoing global campaign to lower drug prices and improve
access to lifesaving HIV/AIDS treatments worldwide, AIDS Healthcare
Foundation (AHF) has published a print advertisement in the form of an open
letter that will appear in several prominent Indian newspapers today.

Headlined 'Cipla, Tell the Truth' this latest ad is scheduled to appear
in the Mumbai editions of The Indian Express and The Financial Express today
and in the Delhi editions within a few days and follows a month-long public
dialogue regarding higher prices offered by Cipla for its generic HIV/AIDS
drugs in India vs. Africa. The controversy was sparked by an earlier
drug-pricing advocacy ad placed by AHF in Indian newspapers in August.
Headlined 'Profit at What Cost? AIDS Drugs for All' the ad questioned a 150%
price difference between what Cipla has offered African and Indian purchasers
for the same lifesaving antiretroviral medication. Spurred by AHF's
allegations, the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission
(MRTPC), India's anti-trust commission that probes monopolistic, restrictive
and unfair trade practices, recently began an investigation into Cipla's
pricing practices.

"With this advertisement, we hope to put an end to the recent storm of
controversy pitting AHF and Cipla against each other and to re-focus the
public dialogue on what is most important: the fact that Cipla's HIV/AID drug
prices are simply too high in India," said Chinkholal Thangsing, M.D., Asia
Pacific Bureau Chief for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and a medical
provider based in New Delhi. "We also hope to refute baseless claims recently
leveled at AHF regarding the motives behind our efforts to lower HIV/AIDS
drug prices in India and to increase access to lifesaving medicines. As a
non-profit organization with a twenty-year history of providing free medical
care and advocacy to people living with HIV/AIDS our commitment has been, is,
and always will be to the people we serve. We urge Cipla to end its attempts
to divert attention away from the facts so that we can get down to the
important work of saving lives."

AHF begins its open letter to Cipla by reiterating its original
claim-which Cipla has yet to refute-that the generic manufacturer is offering
many of its HIV/AIDS medicines at significantly lower prices in African than
in India: "The simple truth is that Cipla is charging too much for its drugs
in India and its pricing is depriving Indians living with HIV/AIDS of access
to lifesaving treatment ... Cipla is charging much more for anti-retroviral
(ARV) drugs in India than they do in Africa."

A chart included in the ad compares the private price Cipla offers in
India to the government or non-governmental organization price offered in
Africa and the private price offered in Uganda (where AHF operates free
treatment clinics). The results are startling: Cipla offers Duovir-N, a
combination of three generic anti-retroviral drugs, for two times as much in
India as it does in Africa and almost one-and-a-half times as much than in
Uganda. The price Cipla offers for Triomune, a combination of three generic
anti-retroviral drugs, is three times as much in India as offered in Africa
and two-and-a-half times as much as Cipla charges for the same drug in
Uganda. Finally, the price Cipla offers for Efavir, a two-in-one
anti-retroviral combination, is three times as much in India as offered in
Africa or twice as much than Cipla charges in Uganda. Bottom line: All three
of these potential lifesaving generic ARV combinations by Cipla are priced
(or offered) at an average of two to three times less in Africa than they are
priced (or offered) in India; as such, the steeper prices offered in India
mean that fewer Indians can partake in the lifesaving benefits of these
Indian-made AIDS medicines.

The letter also answers baseless assertions about AHF's connections to
pharmaceutical companies: "Cipla has accused AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF)
of working for the multi-national drug companies ... AHF, a non-government
organization, vigorously opposed high drug pricing from all pharmaceutical
companies. In fact, AHF has sued several drug companies over the years to
lower prices ... Gilead is one company that has worked closely with AHF and
is one of many supporting our free ARV programs in the developing world.
Nevertheless, we are strongly opposed to Gilead's application for patents in
India ... It should be clear: AHF is not for sale to anyone, at any price."

In both public news articles in India and private correspondence with AHF
over the past two weeks, Cipla officials have demanded a published public
apology over the advocacy advertisement. With the demand, Cipla has also
informed AHF that if no apology is published within seven (7) days, then it
intends to sue AHF, an international non-governmental organization (NGO) that
provides direct medical care and services to over 46,000 people with HIV/AIDS
in 12 countries, for USD $25 million over the ad.

In response, AHF states: "Cipla is diverting attention away from its
pricing in India and smearing AHF's good name in the process. Cipla wants to
intimidate the one organization that has publicly criticized it by
threatening to bankrupt us by demanding a billion rupees from AHF for
supposed defamation ... We will not be silenced by threats. We will continue
to fight for the lives of our 60,000 patients worldwide, including those in
India.

Of the 2.5 million people now estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS in
India, approximately 85,000 are receiving lifesaving antiretroviral
treatment. Cipla, the world's largest manufacturer of antiretroviral drugs to
fight HIV/AIDS (as measured by units produced, distributed and sold-not
overall revenue), is best-known for manufacturing economical generic
anti-AIDS drugs used throughout Africa.

Detailing its extensive history of advocacy targeted at drug companies
with the goal of lowering drug prices and increasing access to affordable
HIV/AIDS medications, the letter ends with a challenge to Cipla to
demonstrate the same sort of commitment to affordable drug access in for
Indians in need as it does for Africa: "AHF is prepared to meet with Cipla
anywhere, at any time to find a solution. The rest is up to Cipla."

To view the open letter print ad in its entirety, please visit:
http://www.aidshealth.org/images/pdfs/ciplaad2thehinduweb2.pdf

History of AIDS Healthcare Foundation's Drug Pricing and Access Advocacy

Over the years AHF has had a long, outspoken and successful history of
advocacy and outreach regarding AIDS drug pricing and access issues around
the globe. This advocacy has often occurred via direct meetings and
correspondence with drug company officials; through press conferences and
press statements; via the filing of lawsuits; through lobbying government
officials; via the mounting of protests and awareness campaigns; and through
the placement of advertisements and calls to action, such as the current,
"Profits at What Costs? AIDS Drugs for All," in India.

AHF's advocacy efforts have included:

-- Earlier this year, AHF mounted a similar print ad and awareness
       campaign on AIDS drug pricing in Mexico. That campaign featured a
       print ad, "AIDS Drug Prices to Die For," which ran in prominent papers 
       in Mexico and several US cities and targeted both Bristol Myers-Squibb
       (BMS) and Merck (known as Merck Sharp & Dohme in Mexico). The two drug
       companies are being targeted for charging four times as much in Mexico
       for their key AIDS drugs Reyataz and Stocrin as they do in other Latin
       American and middle-income countries. Mexico, which is classified as 
       an 'upper middle-income' country, has a gross national income (GNI) of 
       USD $6,790 annually, while the average annual per person cost of
       antiretroviral in the country is USD $8,000 (for treatments that can
       cost as little as USD $150 in Africa), making these lifesaving AIDS
       regimens all but unaffordable for nearly all those living with 
       HIV/AIDS in Mexico. The Mexico advocacy campaign is ongoing.

    -- Over the past four years, AHF has targeted Abbott Laboratories
       regarding several of its global AIDS drug pricing and access policies.
       AHF is currently targeting Abbott for its recent cold-hearted and
       punitive access policies in Thailand regarding its drug combination,
       Kaletra. In January, the government of Thailand issued a compulsory
       license for the manufacture and import of a generic version of the
       drug; the move prompted Abbott to withdraw all new drugs, including
       Aluvia, a heat-stable tablet formulation of Kaletra, from the official
       governmental approval and registration process in Thailand. In July
       2007, AHF praised the government of Brazil for negotiating a 30%
       discount on Abbott's Kaletra. Brazil had also threatened to issue a
       compulsory license for Kaletra. Separately, in 2004, AHF had protested
       and filed a lawsuit against Abbott in response to a five-fold price
       hike the company instituted on its AIDS drug, Norvir. The suit was
       later settled.

    -- AHF has repeatedly called on the pharmaceutical industry as a whole to
       cut prices and increase access to AIDS therapies globally. In July
       2006, AHF officials, who had earlier met with Gilead Sciences
       executives, praised the drug company after Gilead announced plans to
       reduce prices for its HIV/AIDS-related medications by two-thirds for
       middle-income countries including Mexico.

    -- AHF has also challenged British drug giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in
       long running campaigns via protests, press conferences and lawsuits.
       Some actions targeted GSK over its patent claim and steep pricing on
       AZT, the first AIDS drug. Other actions focused on GSK's global 
       pricing and access, particularly in Africa, and its partnership with 
       Aspencare, a generic drug manufacturer in South Africa (where AHF 
       opened its first global treatment clinic in 2001), which after several 
       years hadn't produced any generic GSK AIDS medications.

    -- AHF also spoke out loudly when the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers
       Association of South Africa and 39 pharmaceutical companies filed a
       lawsuit against the government of South Africa when it approved a law
       that would allow the country to import and manufacture cheaper generic
       AIDS drugs. The drug industry's move was met with 'a groundswell of
       public and government opposition,' which caused some of the 'largest
       firms' involved in the case to, 'rethink their strategy,' according to
       'The Guardian' newspaper. In April 2001, the drug companies agreed to
       drop their lawsuit, a move that AHF praised.

    -- Separately, AHF has targeted Pfizer Inc., the world's largest drug
       company, over its reckless advertising and marketing for its erectile
       dysfunction drug, Viagra. AHF hosted press conferences; issued press
       statements; wrote and/or met with officials at the FDA and the FCC; 
       and filed a lawsuit over one of Pfizer's Viagra advertising campaigns,
       which AHF believes encourage the non-medical use of the drug as a 
       party drug, and which AHF believes can contribute to increased risks 
       for exposure to sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. The 
       campaign is ongoing.



AIDS Healthcare Foundation currently provides free anti-retroviral
treatment to people in need in India through its clinics in Mysore, New Delhi
and in Guwahati, Assam under the AHF India Cares banner and in collaboration
with the National AIDS Control Organization. In the Asia-Pacific region, AHF
also operates free treatment clinics in Thailand, Viet Nam, Cambodia and
China.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is the nation's largest non-profit
HIV/AIDS healthcare, research, prevention and education provider. AHF
currently provides medical care and/or services to more than 61,000
individuals in 15 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin
America/Caribbean and Asia. Additional information is available at
www.aidshealth.org

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