Open Letter to Cepheid - For Endorsement - Time to Lower the Price of Xpert Cartridges to US$ 5

Treatment Action Group, with input from partners and allies, drafted an open letter to Cepheid requesting that the company reduce the price of Xpert cartridges to US$ 5, inclusive of service and maintenance, for both the public and private sectors. We invite you to sign on and endorse the letter as organizations or individuals. A PDF of the open letter is downloadable below, and here is a link to sign on and endorse the letter: https://forms.gle/qQmPoFXBZNb6ta3v8

It is essential that Cepheid reduce the price of Xpert cartridges to US$ 5 so that these tests can be made affordable and scaled up as the initial test for TB diagnosis, as recommended by the WHO. The annual sales volumes of Xpert cartridges have increased dramatically since the public sector price of US$ 9.98 was set, with volumes reaching nearly 12 million cartridges sold in 2018. These volumes are expected to have resulted in significant manufacturing efficiencies and cost savings for Cepheid. GeneXpert and Xpert cartridges were developed largely through public and philanthropic funding, and is it time that the public receive a larger return on this investment, and that Cepheid reduce the price of Xpert cartridges to US$ 5, inclusive of service and maintenance.

Please sign on and endorse this letter by close of business, Eastern time, on Friday, 18 October. The letter will then be sent to Cepheid on Monday, 21 October.

You can also share this letter with other civil society TB stakeholder organizations and individuals that may be interested to sign on.

Open Letter to Cepheid - Time for $5 - For Endorsement.pdf (175.4 KB)