Novartis introduced GIPAP to cancer patients in India in September 2002, wherein the drug was made available free of cost to patients who did not have access to the drug.
The per month dosage cost of Glivec for a cancer patient at a chronic stage is around Rs 1.10 lakh, while it is even higher for a patient at the blast stage wherein eight tablets need to be consumed in a day.
The programme was closed in May 2003 and currently, around 600 patients with certain forms of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) and gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) are registered under the programme who receive Glivec free of cost. GIPAP is made available through The Max Foundation.
Ranjeet Shahani, vice-chairman and managing director of Novartis India, said:
