Medicines Patent Pool inks pact with 7 firms for anti-AIDS drugs

To speed access of low-cost crucial medicines

July 18, 2014 01:02 am | Updated 01:54 am IST - MUMBAI:

In a significant step in the treatment of AIDS, the United Nations-backed Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) has announced sub-licensing agreements with seven pharmaceutical companies for the manufacture of two anti-AIDS drugs.

Indian pharmaceutical companies Cipla, Aurobindo Pharma, Micro Labs, Emcure and Mylan’s Indian subsidiary are part of the group of companies which will make generic HIV medicines, atazanavir (ATV) and dolutegravir (DTG). The other companies are: Desano of China and Laurus Labs.

In a statement, MPP said it negotiated licences with key patent holders to speed access of low-cost, generic medicines to developing countries.

Earlier, it has signed agreements with Bristol Myers-Squibb, Gilead Sciences, F.Hoffmann-La Roche, the U.S. National Institutes of Health and ViiV Healthcare for 8 anti-retrovirals (ARVs) and one medicine for an HIV opportunistic infection.

“With licenses signed today, four new manufacturers are joining us to speed the availability of crucial medicines, ATV and DTG to developing countries. This almost doubles our network of generic partners to ten companies,” Gred Perry, ED, MPP, said in a statement. “Increased generic competition will ultimately bring prices and increase availability to allow national treatment programmes to treat more people in their countries.”

On ATV, Arvind Vasudeva, CEO, Formulations at Aurobindo, said, “This medicine offers new options for people living with HIV who are no longer able to take their first HIV regimens and its distribution in resource-poor settings is crucial.”

“The HIV field needs new drugs all the time due to the development of resistance and treatment failure,” said Jaideep Gogtal, Chief Medical Officer, Cipla. “DTG belongs to the new class of drugs — integrase inhibitors. Access to the medicine in developing countries will make a major difference to the lives of HIV / AIDS patients living there.”

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