Cipla and Unitaid have inked a pact to lower the price of the first combination therapy (containing co-trimoxazole, isoniazid and vitamin B6) that prevents opportunistic infections in people living with HIV. 

Under this agreement, Cipla will reduce the ceiling price of the medicine by more than 30 per cent from $ 3 to $ 1.99 per person, per month, for all public-sector procurers in low and middle-income countries.

The price of the product is expected to come down more as governments and international funding bodies procure larger quantities for their HIV treatment programmes.

The combination therapy is a once-daily pill that protects in three ways against TB, the leading cause of death among people with HIV, and against other life-threatening bacterial, and protozoan infections.