Ingelheim/Germany, 15 May 2007 - In order to further improve access to its anti-HIV drug Viramune®(nevirapine) in developing countries Boehringer Ingelheim has amendedits policy of voluntary licences for generic producers. The company nowissues short, non-assert declarations which can be given to all genericproducers worldwide, prequalified by the WHO, that will supplynevirapine to developing countries. These agreements, which practicallymean that patents on nevirapine will not be enforced by BoehringerIngelheim in developing countries, are free of licence fees or othercharges.

On top of that Boehringer Ingelheim decided to introduce a new, considerably lower preferential price for original Viramune®of 0.60 US Dollars. This means that in all African countries and allother low-income countries as per World Bank classification, some 78countries, the daily treatment costs for Viramune® will becut on an average in half compared to the former preferential price.This former preferential price of 1.20 US Dollars will now be extendedadditionally to 67 middle income countries, such as some South andCentral American and Eastern European countries not belonging to theabove mentioned group. This price is a more than 90 percent discount onthe price for the treatment in highly industrialized countries.

Dr Alessandro Banchi, the Chairman of the Board of Managing Directorsof Boehringer Ingelheim said, “Preferential pricing is the only way howwe can meet both conflicting needs in the fight against AIDS: We canrefinance our high research and development costs for innovative, newtreatments by the established price system in industrialized countriesand can offer affordable medicines to patients in poor countries thatotherwise cannot afford antiretroviral medication. In order to furtherbroaden access to nevirapine, a well-studied and effective AIDSmedication, Boehringer Ingelheim offers free-of-charge non-assertdeclarations to any pharmaceutical manufacturer in the world who isprequalified by WHO for the production of nevirapine for developingcountries. The patent situation will not stand in the way of poorpeople who need our medication.“

The non-assert agreements and price reductions are to be seen in addition to the well-established Boehringer Ingelheim Viramune® Donation Program for pregnant HIV-positive patients in developing countries and other health care supporting activities.

Donating to prevent further spread of HIV

Since 2000 Boehringer Ingelheim has given free access to single-dose Viramune®(nevirapine), used alone or in combination with other drugs, to preventmother-to-child transmission of the HI virus during birth.*The company is currently donating the product to 59 countries inAfrica, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. In total more than 988,000 mother and child doses were supplied free of charge so far.

Providing new hope through new treatments
After making available the first non-nucleoside transcriptase inhibitor Viramune® in 1996, Boehringer Ingelheim provides patients and the medical profession with the novel protease inhibitor Aptivus®for HIV-positive patients who have tried other AIDS medications anddeveloped reduced susceptibility to currently available anti-HIVtreatments. There are also further anti-viral substances in clinicaldevelopment at Boehringer Ingelheim.
In all HIV research activities of Boehringer Ingelheim special care is given to paediatric indications. Viramune® is registered in most countries for use in children. For Aptivus® clinical trials in children are underway.