Advocates ask Otsuka to lower the price of delamanid in line with Médecins sans Frontières target regimen cost of $500.
In an open letter sent to Otsuka on 11 October 2018, the Global TB Community Advisory Board (TB CAB) acknowledged the importance of delamanid for the treatment of rifampicin-resistant TB, as well as the multiple barriers preventing its more widespread accessibility to those who need it, and urged the company to reduce the price of delamanid bringing it in line with Médecins sans Frontières target regimen cost of $500, pointing to the high cost of the drug as the main barrier to access.
“At the current price of $1,700 per six-month course in low- and middle-income countries, delamanid’s cost is clearly incompatible with the target regimen price suggested by Médecins sans Frontières of $500.”
To read the full letter, click here.
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On 15 October 2018, Otsuka responded admitting that “the current lowest global price of delamanid (USD $1,700 for a 6-month treatment course via Global Drug Facility) is not in line with the global TB community’s expectations for the total cost of an MDR/RR-TB [multidrug- and rifampicin-resistant TB] regimen”, and outlining “the various actions Otsuka is taking, alone and in collaboration with third parties, to reduce the price of delamanid over the coming year including technology transfer, formulation and manufacturing improvements.”
To read the full response, click here.