Drug company raises US price of AIDS drug five-fold

A decision made earlier this year by Abbott Laboratories to raise the U S price of itsprotease-inhibiting drug Norvir from about $1,500 (£843;€1,240) to $7,800 (£4,380;€6450) annually, which provoked an outcry among AIDS sufferers and organisations, has come underthe spotlight in a Federal public hearing.

The price of Norvir in other countries is much lower, because of government pricing restrictions. In Belgium, for example, is costs less than $720 (£440; €645) annually. Norvir is an adjunct of “drug cocktails” taken by many AIDS patients, to enhance the effectiveness of nearly all other protease inhibitors they may be taking.

Abbott justifies its …