According to Gilead, the price decreases are due to increased economies of scale, production at a new plant in the Bahamas that manufactures active pharmaceutical ingredient for both Viread and Truvada, and continued improvements in the manufacturing process.
As a result of these changes, Viread and Truvada are now priced at $17.00 and $26.25 for a 30-day supply, or $0.57 and $0.87 per day, respectively, for private and public programs treating people with HIV/AIDS in the 97 nations of the program. The new prices represent approximately a 31% and 12% reduction in the no-profit prices for Viread and Truvada, respectively.
The parent compound of Viread, tenofovir, was discovered through a collaborative research effort between Dr Antonin Holy at the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (IOCB) in Prague, and Dr Erik DeClercq, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholic University, Belgium.
The inventors of Viread have agreed to waive their right to a royalty on sales of Viread and Truvada in the Gilead Access Program countries to ensure the product can be offered at a no-profit price in parts of the world where the AIDS epidemic has hit the hardest.