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...rently the highest ever for any prescription drug -- sparked congressional hearings and outraged cries by patient groups throughout the U. S. But the big pharmaceutical company's gesture could backfire and open it to further public criticism about Retrovir. With the $5 million donation, "they are essentially guaranteeing they will receive twice that amount back from the federal government," argues Dr. Lynn Silver, a researcher for the Health Research Group, a Washington-based consumer advocacy organization. "They should give it away free to the uninsured" and "start charging {others} a reasonable price for the drug." A few other U. S. companies recently have started to give medications free to the medically indigent. In June, biotechnology company Genentech Inc. said it would give its heart-attack drug TPA to low-income patients not covered by medical insurance. Some health officials consider TPA's price -- $2,200 a treatment -- unreasonably high. In February...