U.S.-based pharmaceuticals company Johnson & Johnson is being investigated in South Africa for allegedly charging “excessive” prices for a key tuberculosis drug.
  • AutoTL;DRBEnglish
    4•1 year ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:

    CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — U.S.-based pharmaceuticals company Johnson & Johnson is being investigated in South Africa for allegedly charging “excessive” prices for a key tuberculosis drug, the country’s antitrust regulator said Friday.

    The South African government purchases its bedaquiline directly from J&J and Janssen and not through the Stop TB facility and was paying around $280 for a six-month course for a patient, according to Professor Norbert Ndjeka, who leads the national department of health’s TB control and management.

    Ndjeka said that South Africa had recently concluded a new two-year deal with J&J for bedaquiline at a slightly higher price than $280 per course, according to a report on the News24 website.

    The Competition Commission said it was confirming the investigation due to heightened media interest, but would not respond to requests for comment or more information about the probe.

    It comes a week after a health advocacy group released details of South Africa’s COVID-19 vaccine purchase contracts with numerous pharmaceutical companies, including J&J and U.S.-based Pfizer.

    They were obtained after the group, the Health Justice Intiative, won a freedom of information case in court.

    The original article contains 528 words, the summary contains 187 words. Saved 65%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!