Physicians and AIDS activists are optimistic about a new generic version of AZT, the drug used to prevent the AIDS virus from reproducing in the body, saying the less expensive medication will help more and more people seeking treatment for the deadly disease.

Former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher told BlackAmericaWeb.com the recent approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of the generic drug will definitely benefit those fighting HIV, a number of people that is, unfortunately, growing by leaps and bounds.

“As long as a drug is not generic, it means that the company that makes it has no competition, and it is competition that drives prices down,” Satcher said. Currently the interim president of the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Satcher maintained that less expensive medication is needed to effectively treat as many HIV-positive people as possible.

AZT, an anti-retroviral drug that is also known as Zidovudine, is often used in combination with other medications to treat an HIV infection. Generic versions of the drug have previously been unavailable in the United States because patent or market exclusivity restrictions prevented them from being placed on the market. With the patent now expired, different versions of the drug manufactured by Roxane Laboratories of Columbus, Ohio, Ranbaxy Laboratories of Guragon, India, and Aurobindo Pharma of Hyderabad, India, are now being prepared to go on the market. 

GlaxoSmithKline created the original AZT treatment, known as Retrovir. A 300-milligram tablet of the drug, first approved by the FDA in 1987, can cost $7, a heavy price for many, Sather said.

“There should no barriers to people accessing the drug. We’re dealing with an epidemic -- a pandemic, in fact,” Satcher said, adding that those who fall into a lower-income bracket and people of color tend to be disproportionately uninsured and therefore often at a disadvantage when it comes to getting proper medication.

“There are so many people in the world who just don’t earn enough money to afford these drugs,” Satcher said. “As a public health leader, I would like to see a global commitment to agree that [making medication more accessible] should be a priority.”

Like Satcher, Joni Bishop believes the generic version of AZT will be a blessing to people living with HIV, allowing them to have greater access to ways of managing the disease. For the people she encounters at Philadelphia’s BEBASHI (for Blacks Educating Blacks about Sexual Health Issues), the generic drug is long overdue, Bishop said.

“I think it’s a great benefit to the people who couldn’t afford the medication,” said Bishop, who is director of development for BEBASHI, a non-profit that strives to make people of color more aware of how to prevent and properly treat AIDS and other sexually-transmitted diseases. According to Bishop, approximately 90 percent of BEBASHI’s clientele lives below the poverty line.

“When medications become costly, there are other things that one may compromise in order to afford their medication, such as food and other necessities that are needed in their daily life,” Bishop told BlackAmericaWeb.com, adding that many medications require being taken with certain food or having the person on medication follow a balanced diet. By forgoing such necessities to afford medication that, on average, can run between $12,000 and $16,000 a year, AIDS patients can put themselves at extreme risks, Bishop said.

“What is important to realize is that there are people who fall within a gap. It’s a myth that everybody who is HIV-positive has access to medication. It’s simply not true,” Bishop said.

Bishop said she plans to have BEBASHI clients learn more about gaining access to the generic drug through the counseling sessions and workshops her organization offers. These programs will not only be a service to those who are HIV-positive, but for their loved ones as well, Bishop said.

“In particular, with African-American women, we’re seeing a lot more who are positive and more so single mothers. It’s now a disease affecting the entire family,” Bishop said. “These interactions will be part of our continuing education and support groups for women who are single mothers and living with the virus.”

For Satcher, simply talking about the drug’s availability will increase awareness amongst those who need it most. But more than talking will be needed to combat the disease and how it has ravaged the black community, he said.

“I think we need to do more than just treat AIDS. We need to prevent it,” said Satcher, a proponent of issuing condoms to help in the prevention of the spread of HIV.

Understanding that condoms do not prevent HIV 100 percent, Satcher said it’s a start.

“The fact of the matter is that we need to help people reduce the spread of this disease,” Satcher said. “When it comes to optimal protection, we ought to provide that, and people ought to have access.”