Norvir

Homepage of Essential Inventions, the non-profit corporation which petitioned the US Department of Health and Human Services for licenses to manufacture and sell inexpensive generic versions of Xalatan and Norvir. (Also, see the April 28, 2004 Statement on Decision by NIH to Hold Public Meeting on Compulsory Licenses Remedy for Abbott's Abuse of Ritonavir Patents.)

Congressional Investigation into Price Hike
- March 14, 2007. David Mikhail for the Hill. House Democrats scrutinize price tag of AIDS drug
February 6, 2004. Abbott press release. Abbott Announces Several Initiatives to Further Enhance Patient Access, Address Community Concerns Regarding Re-Pricing of HIV Drug, Norvir (Ritonavir).
FDA Warning to Abbott on Misleading Price Information
- FDA Warning Letter to Abbott,
- June 10, 2004. Abbott press release. Abbott Laboratories' Statement Regarding FDA's DDMAC Letter on Norvir (Ritonavir Capsules) Materials.
- June 10, 2003. Lisa Richwine for Reuters. FDA: Abbott AIDS Drug Price Claims Were Misleading.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation Settles Two Lawsuits Against Abbott
On July 16, 2004, AHF and Abbott reached an agreement on two lawsuits - an antitrust suit and a false advertising suit. Abbott agreed to fund AIDS programs for the testing, prevention and treatment of 10,000 people in the U.S. and Africa, and there will be no pricing change. The exact financial details were not made public.
- AIDS Healthcare Foundation press release. AIDS Healthcare Foundation and Abbott Laboratories Agree To Collaborate On Programs To Support HIV Community; Resolve Lawsuits.
- July 29, 2004. Bob Roehr for Pride Source. AHF sells out to Abbott on Norvir pricing.
- July 21, 2004. AIDS Treatment Ativist Coalition. AIDS Activists Outraged by Abbott Settlement with AIDS Healthcare Foundation.
- July 17, 2004. Bloomberg News. Abbott settles Norvir suits; AIDS help set; Firm won't change the drug's price.
- AHF Antitrust Case
  - AIDS Healthcare Foundation v. Abbott Laboratories: Complaint.
  - May 19, 2004. Senators McCain, Schumer and Hollings. Letter to FTC Chairman Timothy Muris on the antitrust complaint filed against Abbott.
  - May 19, 2004. Sen. Holling's press release. Hollings, McCain, and Schumer Ask FTC to Probe Key HIV/AIDS Drug Price Hike.
  - February 11, 2004. AHF press release. Abbott Sued For Anti-trust Over Norvir Price Increase by AIDS Healthcare Foundation.
  - News Stories
    - May 19, 2004. Susan Heavey for Reuters. U.S. lawmakers seek probe of AIDS drug price rise.
    - February 13, 2004. The Advocate. AHF files suit against Abbott Laboratories.
    - February 11, 2003. Gina Keating for Reuters. Calif. AIDS group sues Abbott over drug price hike.
    - February 11, 2004. John Rogers for the Associated Press. LA-based AIDS care group sues over huge increase in cost of drug.
- AHF False Advertising Case
  - March 18, 2004. AIDS Healthcare Foundation press release. Abbott Labs Hit With False Advertising Lawsuit by AHF Over AIDS Drug Pricing Claims.
  - News Stories
    - March 18, 2004. Reuters. Abbott sued in Calif. over AIDS drug statements.
    - March 18, 2004. Kelly Quigley for Crains Chicago Business. AIDS Group Sues Abbott - Adds to growing protests over Norvir price hikes.
March 3, 2004. Letter from 55 Doctors to DHHS Secretary Tommy Thompson and Dr. Mark Rohrbaugh from the NIH's Office of Technology Transfer in Support of the Norvir March-In Effort.
Doctors Call for a Boycott of Abbott Products
- January 20, 2004. Letter from 79 doctors to John Leonard from Abbott.
- January 15, 2004. Lynda Dee of the AIDS Treatment Activist Coalition. Letter to Physicians on the Abbott price hike.
- December 23, 2004. Letter from John Leonard, Abbott's VP of Global Pharmaceutical Development to doctors concerning the price increase.
- News Stories
  - February 19, 2003. Stephen Smith for the Boston Globe. AIDS drug's high cost spurs doctors' boycott.
  - February 18, 2003. Kieth Alcorn for AIDSMap. US doctors plan cross the board Abbott product boycott after 400% ritonavir price hike.
  - February 11, 2004. Frances Knowles for the Chicago Sun Times. Doctors boycott Abbott over price hike for AIDS drug.
  - February 11, 2004. Kieth Alcorn for AIDSMap. Doctors rebellion against ritonavir price increase spreads in US.
  - February 10, 2004. Lisa Richwine and Kim Dixon for Reuters. Doctors Call for Abbott Boycott on AIDS Price Hike.
Class-Action Lawsuits Against Abbott for Antitrust Violation Related to Price Hike
- Gingreau V. Abbott Laboratories
  - May 20, 2004. Text of the Complaint.
  - May 20, 2004. Press release from the Prescription Access Litigation Project. Consumer lawsuit charges that Abbott Laboratories' 400% price hike for essential AIDS drug violates consumer fraud law.
- John Does v. Abbott Laboratories
  - April 19, 2004. Text of the Complaint.
  - April 19, 2004. Press release from the law firm of Berman DeValerio Pease Tabacco Burt & Pucillo. AIDS Patients Sue Abbott Laboratories for Violating Antitrust Laws With Five-Fold Price Hike of Key Anti-HIV Drug Norvir.
  - April 19, 2004. Reuters. Abbott AIDS drug price hike hit by suit, protest.
  - April 19, 2004. Lisa Krieger for the San Jose Mercury News. AIDS-drug price hike spurs suit.
State Government Antitrust Investigations
- February 8, 2004. Associated Press. AIDS Medicine Price Hike Being Probed.
- February 8, 2004. Bruce Japsen for the Chicago Tribune. Abbott price hike probed by 2 states: Illinois, New York look at 400% leap in price of HIV medication Norvir.
- February 6, 2004. State's Attorney General's Office of Illinois. Madigan Inbestigates Drug Pricing by Abbott Labs - Cost of Drug in AIDS Cocktail Rises by 400 Percent, Price Increase Could Help Abbott Gain Market Share.
Other NGO Documents
- April 30, 2004. Intellectual Property from Brazilian Network for the People's Integration. Letter to Abbott Laboratories.
- April 23, 2004. AIDS Treatment Activist Coalition. Seniors, AIDS Advocates Protest Abbott Lab's Skyrocketing Drug Prices.
- April 21, 2004. HIV Outpatient Study Group. AIDS researchers to Abbott: Norvir price increase cannot be tolerated.
- February 26, 2004. Letter from 36 AIDS groups to Tommy Thompson.
- February 19, 2004. ACT-UP New York/ACT-UP Philadelphia. AIDS Activists Storm Abbott Drug Manufacturing Facility - Protestors Denounce 400% Price Hike on Key AIDS Drug.
- February 2, 2004. AIDS Healthcare Foundation press release. State Medicaid Heads Pressed by AIDS Healthcare Foundation to Demand Guarantees Against Loss Due to Abbott's Recent 400% Price Increase on Norvir.
- January 29, 2004. CPTech press release. Xalatan/Norvir - DHHS Secretary Thompson asked to grant generic manufacturers licenses to patents on government funded inventions for treatment of glaucoma and AIDS.
- December 16, 2004. AIDS Healthcare Foundation press release. AIDS Healthcare Foundation Criticizes Abbott Labs for Five-fold Price Increase on Key AIDS Drug, Norvir.
News Stories
- January 3, 2006. John Carreyrou for the Wall Street Journal. Inside Abbott's Tactics To Protect AIDS Drug
- January 3, 2006. Wall Street Journal. Excerpts from company emails regarding price hike.
- June 10, 2004. The Advocate. Industry analysts say Norvir price hike will double profits.
- June 2, 2004. Bob Roehr for the Windy City Advocate. Norvir Patent Under Fire at NIH Meeting.
- June 1, 2004. Brenda Sandburg for the Recorder. The Case of the Mysterious 48-Hour Lawsuit.
- June 1, 2004. Op-ed in the L.A. Times b y James Glassman and Nick Schulz. Activists Put Drug Research on Chopping Block.
- May 24, 2004. Robert Steyer for The Street.com. Abbott Labs Defends Pricing Policy.
- May 24, 2004. Brian Gorman for the Motley Fool. Abbott Labs Stirs Up Criticism.
- May 13, 2004. Leila Abbound for the Wall Street Journal. Abbott Laboratories Faces Heat Over Raising Price of AIDS Drug.
- April 24, 2004. Francine Knowles for the Chicago Sun-Times. Abbott CEO talks up pipeline as protesters hit price hike on AIDS drug.
- April 23, 2004. Bruce Japsen for the Chicago Tribune. Abbott defends AIDS drug price.
- April 15, 2004. The Advocate. Activists plan Norvir protest on April 23 in Illinois.
- April 14, 2004. Gardiner Harris for the New York Times. Price of AIDS Drug Intensifies Debate on Legal Imports.
- April 14, 2004. Doreen Brandt for GayWired.com. AIDS Drug Price Hike Probed By Feds.
- April 1, 2004. Violet Woodward for the Yale Daily News. AIDS Watch petitions against drug price hikes.
- February 19, 2004. United Press International. AIDS activists protest Abbott drug prices.
- February 18, 2004. David Scales and Sanjay Basu for the Yale Daily News. Government Should Use Power to Make Drugs Affordable.
- February 2, 2004. Dorsey Griffith for the Sacremento Bee. AIDS drug's price soars - Doctors are outraged by the 400% jump in the cost of the vital medicine.
- February 2, 2004. Gay Financial Network. HIV Doctors Protest Drug Price Increase.
- January 30, 2004. The Advocate Daily News. Nonprofit group calls for investigation into Abbott's price increase of Norvir.
- January 29, 2004. Lisa Richwine for Reuters. Firm Seeks License for Pfizer, Abbott Drugs.
- January 16, 2004. Ryan Lee for the Washington Blade. Critics decry escalating HIV/AIDS drug prices: Drug companies cite research costs as driving up expenses.
- January 5, 2004. Carol M. Ostrom for the Seattle Times. Price of AIDS drug soars fivefold.
- December 26, 2003. John James for The Body: AIDS Treatment News. Abbott Laboratories Increases Norvir Price Fivefold.
- December 19, 2003. Vanessa Fuhrmans for the Wall Street Journal. Abbott Lifts Price of Norvir 400% - Cost of Longtime HIV Drug Jumps, Reigniting Debate Over Drug Pricing Policies

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