HIV/AIDS Treatment Average Wholesale Price of HIV Drugs By James Myhre & Dennis Sifris, MD Dennis Sifris, MD, is an HIV specialist and Medical Director of LifeSense Disease Management. James Myhre is an American journalist and HIV educator. Learn about our editorial process James Myhre & Dennis Sifris, MD Medically reviewed by a board-certified physician Updated on July 25, 2020 Print The wholesale price of HIV drugs is determined by a number of factors. Firstly, the manufacturer releases a wholesale acquisition cost (WAC), which is essentially the asking price of a drug before any discounts or rebates are added for volume purchases and/or prompt payment. What Are Antiretrovirals and How Do They Work? Chris Potter / Flickr / CC BY 2.0 From this, a suggested wholesale price (SWP) is set. This is the price recommended by the manufacturer to wholesalers when determining prices for their customers, including retailers, hospitals, and institutions. The SWP is not the actual transactional cost, but rather a baseline from which wholesalers can make competitive pricing decisions. By contrast, the average wholesale price (AWP) is the average price that retailers and others are reportedly paying for a particular drug. The AWP is reported by the manufacturers and compiled by independent publishers. That data is used by governments, insurance companies, and others to determine the reimbursement and retail prices of prescription drugs. Because AWP relies on third-party reporting—and is, therefore, vulnerable to price manipulation—some institutions have begun to abandon its use in favor of the SWP. Finally, the direct price (DIRP or DP) is the price a non-wholesale buyer—namely, you—would expect to pay at the cash register. Generally speaking, there's a 20% to 30% markup between the WAC and DIRP. Why Are There So Few Generic HIV Drugs? Here are the average wholesale prices for antiretroviral drugs per month (as of 12/18/2019). Drug Adult Strength Dose Count AWP per month Aptivus (tipranavir) 250mg capsule 2 twice daily 120 $2,008 Atripla (tenofovir disoproxil + emtricitabine + efavirenz) 300/200/600mg tablet 1 daily 30 $3,429 Biktarvy (bictegravir + tenofovir alafenamide + emtricitabine) 50/25/200mg tablet 1 daily 30 $3,707 Cabenuva (cabotegravir + rilpivirine) 400/600 mg by injection 1 injection of each monthly 1 $4,752 (estimated) Cimduo (lamivudine + tenofovir disoproxil) 300/300mg tablet 1 daily 30 $1,207 Combivir (zidovudine + lamivudine) 300/150mg tablet 1 twice daily 60 $1,082 Complera (tenofovir disoproxil + emtricitabine + ripilvirine) 300/200/25mg tablet 1 daily 30 $3,375 Delstrigo (doravirine + lamivudine + tenovofir disoproxil) 100/300/300mg tablet 1 daily 30 $2,464 Descovy (tenofovir alafenamide + emtricitabine) 25/250mg tablet 1 daily 30 $2,109 Dovato (dolutegravir + lamivudine) 50/300mg tablet 1 daily 30 $2,754 Edurant (rilpivirine) 25mg tablet 1 daily 30 $1,338 Emtriva (emtricitabine) 200mg capsule 1 daily 30 $644 Epivir (lamivudine) 300mg tablet 1 daily 30 $499 Epzicom (abacavir + lamivudine) 600/300mg tablet 1 daily 30 $1,550 Evotaz (atazanavir + cobicistat) 350/150mg tablet 1 daily 30 $1,927 Fuzeon (enfuvirtide) 90mg injection 1 twice daily 60 $4,303 Genvoya (elvitegravir + cobicistat + emtricitabine + tenofovir alafenamide) 150/150/200/10mg tablet 1 daily 30 $3,708 Intelence (etravirine) 200mg tablet 1 twice daily 60 $1,628 Isentress (raltegravir) 400mg tablet 1 twice daily 60 $1,889 Isentress HD (raltegravir) 600mg tablet 1 twice daily 60 $1,889 Juluca (dolutegravir + rilpivirine) 50/25 mg tablet 1 daily 30 $3,249 Kaletra (lopinavir + ritonavir) 200/50mg tablet 2 twice daily or 4 daily 120 $1,229 Lexiva (fosamprenavir) 700mg tablet 2 twice daily 120 $1,812 Norvir (ritonavir) 100mg tablet 1 daily 30 $309 Odefsey (rilpivirine + tenofovir alafenamide + emtricitabine) 25/25/200mg tablet 1 daily 30 $3,375 Pifeltro (doravirine) 100mg tablet 1 daily 30 $1,656 Prezista (darunavir) 400mg tablet 2 daily 60 $2,028 Prezista (darunavir) 600mg tablet 1 twice daily 60 $2,028 Prezcobix (darunavir + cobicistat) 80/150mg tablet 1 daily 60 $2,317 Retrovir (zidovudine, AZT) 300mg tablet 1 twice daily 60 $54-$365 (generic only) Reyataz (atazanavir) 200mg capsule 2 daily 60 $1,756 Reyataz (atazanavir) 300mg capsule 1 daily 30 $1,739 Rukubio (fostemsavir) 600mg tablet 1 twice daily 60 $9,180 Selzentry (maraviroc) 150mg tablet 1 twice daily 60 $1,556 Selzentry (maraviroc) 300mg tablet 1 twice daily 60 $1,556 Stribild (tenofovir + emtricitabine + elvitegravir + cobicistat) 300/200/150/ 150mg tablet 1 daily 30 $3,889 Sustiva (efavirenz) 600mg tablet 1 daily 30 $1,177 Symtuza (darunavir + cobicistat + tenofovir alafenamide + emtricitabine) 80/150/10/200mg tablet 1 daily 30 $4,466 Symfi (efavirenz + tenofovir disoproxil + lamivudine) 600/300/150mg tablet 1 daily 30 $1,961 Symfi Lo (efavirenz + tenofovir disoproxil + lamivudine) 400/300/150mg tablet 1 daily 30 $1,961 Tivicay (dolutegravir) 50mg tablet 1 daily 30 $2,089 Tivicay (dolutegravir) 50mg tablet 1 twice daily 60 $4,178 Triumeq (abacavir + lamivudine + dolutegravir) 600/300/50mg tablet 1 daily 30 $3,467 Trizivir (abacavir + zidovudine + lamivudine) 300/300/100mg tablet 1 twice daily 60 $1,932 Trogarzo (ibalizumab-uiyk) 200mg vial for intravenous infustion 800mg every two weeks 8 vials $10,896 Truvada (tenofovir + emtricitabine) 300/150mg tablet 1 daily 30 $2,011 Tybost (cobicistat) 150mg tablet 1 daily 30 $277 Viramune (nevirapine) 200mg tablet 1 twice daily 60 $1,087 Viramune XR (nevirapine) 400mg tablet 1 daily 30 $1,008 Viread (tenofovir) 300mg tablet 1 daily 30 $1,435 Ziagen (abacavir) 300mg tablet 2 daily 60 $670 4 Tips for Making Your HIV Drugs More Affordable Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Get information on prevention, symptoms, and treatment to better ensure a long and healthy life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Mattingly J. Understanding drug pricing. US Pharm. 2012;37(6):40-5. Additional Reading Test Positive Aware Network. Cabenuva. January 2021. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Panel on Antiretroviral Guidelines for Adults and Adolescents. Limitations to treatment safety and efficacy: Cost considerations and antiretroviral therapy. Updated December 18, 2019.