POZ Community Forums
Main Forums => Living With HIV => Topic started by: marc11864 on July 24, 2008, 05:32:37 pm
-
Hi all,
Recently while on WebMD, I located a link to an online pharmacy with a mailing address located in Canada. On the site they state that they have "Generic Alternative" Atripla available for $249.99 for 30 pills. My understanding is however that none of the drugs in this cocktail are available as a generic until 2017. I'm wondering how legitimate this pharmacy is, if anyone has had any experience with them, if the "Generic Alternative" Atripla is real and if so, how it can be sold in Canada but not the U.S. and finally if it isn't, what can be done to shutter the buggers?
Here is the link, http://www.northwestpharmacy.com/ProductSearch.aspx?s=atripla
Any input is appreciated.
-
Hi, I just joined the list because of searching out exactly the above question. I'm LTS diagnosed in 1986.
I contacted the company and just asked them outright, "Is this for real?"
They say that the generic version comes from Cipla, a pharmaceutical giant in India. There is a list of antiretrovirals on the Cipla website http://www.cipla.com/admin.php?mode=cat&action=disp&parentid=2&catid=9 (http://www.cipla.com/admin.php?mode=cat&action=disp&parentid=2&catid=9) but I didn't see the specific combination of Efavirenz/Emtricitabine/Tenofivir, though they do manufacture all of these individually.
I think there are some legal challenges pending, and don't know if Cipla drugs will remain available in Canada over the long term (the North American pharmaceutical companies are trying to get them kicked out).
I'm not sure what conclusions we can draw from the above.
-
Let me be the first to welcome you to the forum then madaddax and thank you for your contribution as well!
Pharmaceuticals and patents, likely a major issue in the the near future, generate no end of fraudulent claims from unscrupulous people out for a quick buck, baht, peso, etc. I think it is important that we as consumers support each other as best we can by researching and calling out the perpetrators and of demanding oversight from our governments throughout the world. Additionally, we need to demand more oversight of the pharmaceutical companies as well.
Last edit changed, "Additionally, we need to demand more oversight from the pharmaceutical companies as well." to "Additionally, we need to demand more oversight of the pharmaceutical companies as well."
-
I am not a lawyer, so you can safely ignore everything I say...
Seems like the US Patent office tossed out some key patents that Gilead had filed, and a snippet elsewhere on the net suggested that exclusive licensing of Atripla ended July 1.
Cipla is mentioned by name in this article http://www.news-medical.net/?id=34751 (http://www.news-medical.net/?id=34751) suggesting that this might be on the semi-level, that is, it may be that the fight is between the drug companies.
I suppose the only way to find out is to try to order some and see if it arrives. At $2600 / month in the US, anyone paying cash for their meds might consider this a reasonable gamble. Northwestpharmacy appears to be reputable, selling non-generic Atripla about 50% higher than the best price I've seen elsewhere ($1500 vs. $1000).
I'm going to be buying meds out of pocket pretty soon, so I might check this out some time in the next few months. In the mean time, if anyone is able to order successfully at the advertised price, I'd sure be interested to know that.
-
I would strongly suggest buying it if the doctors monitoring you think they will work in the same way! see what the Doc. says then buy it and let me know so that I buy it as well
-
Is there any follow up to this query? As far as I know, Cipla does NOT make a version of Atripla.
However, they do have the component parts (tenofovir, efavirenz and emtricitabine).
http://www.cipla.com/admin.php?mode=cat&action=disp&parentid=2&catid=9
It is however made by Matrix Labs from Hyderabad -
http://www.aidsmeds.com/articles/hiv_atripla_generic_1667_17106.shtml
I do not believe Canadian pharmacies are legitimately offering generic ARVs--unfortunately. Pharma has done enough damage to the US health care (ha) system (hahaha), let alone worldwide where they view their profits as FAR more important than your life or anyone's. Pay up or die...a system I refer to as "economic genocide."
-
This is the follow up discussion on this thread:
http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=33775.0
-
Is there any follow up to this query? As far as I know, Cipla does NOT make a version of Atripla.
There have been many threads on here about this. Cipla does make a generic Atripla called "Viraday." If the medication that is being sold is in fact Viraday made by Cipla then it is fine. There are people on here who have taken it without a problem. Cipla is a reputable and legitimate company.
If you do a search on here for "generic Atripla" or "Viraday" you will see lots of previous threads discussing this, with comments from people who have taken it and where they bought it.
Someone on another site I belong to said they get Viraday from the site below. They said the product is from Cipla and comes factory sealed and he has stayed undetectable. He buys 3 months' worth of meds at a time.
LINK:
http://www.aids-drugs-online.com/
-
Husband has gotten a number of his meds that Insurance/ADAP/ Medicaid will not pay for from India. Sometimes they come by way of Germany, Canada, or Burmuda. It is not unusual to take 60 days or more to get them.