Advocates call on Indian Minister of Health to discontinue and phase out the drug donations of bedaquiline offered by Johnson & Johnson.
On 29 April 2019, advocates and public health organizations sent an open letter to the Indian Minister of Health in response to the recent announcement about a second round of donations of 10,000 courses of bedaquiline (BDQ) by Johnson & Johnson (J&J) to the Indian Government.
“The donations of BDQ to India not only create dependence on donations from a single supplier but also stifle the Government’s willingness to promote local production of BDQ by generic manufacturers to ensure affordable, sustainable and predictable supply to the Government program.”
In the letter, advocates requested the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to “discontinue and phase out the drug donations of BDQ offered by J&J to RNTCP [Revised National TB Control Program] and … ensure that RNTCP initiates the process of independently procuring the drug…”
To read the full letter, click here.