(News Bulletin 247) – GSK announces that the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) – a public health organization supported by the United Nations, has signed sublicense agreements with the health companies Aurobindo, Cipla and Viatris so that these can manufacture generic versions of long-acting cabotegravir (LA) for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
As a reminder, cabotegravir was developed by ViiV Healthcare, a company majority owned by GSK. In July 2022, ViiV Healthcare and MPP had signed a voluntary license agreement for patents relating to cabotegravir LA for PrEP to help enable access in all least developed countries.
Now, ‘the signing of sub-licensing agreements with three generic partners is an extremely important step in enabling widespread access to this medicine in countries where the burden of new HIV cases is highest. We are committed to working at the pace of MPP and selected generic manufacturers to enable development, manufacturing and supply,” said Deborah Waterhouse, Director of ViiV Healthcare.
According to the latest UNAIDS estimates, around 1.5 million people contracted HIV worldwide in 2021, of whom 860,000 live in sub-Saharan Africa.
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