On April 22, Medical Patent Pool (MPP) announced that it signed sublicence agreements with pharmaceutical companies Hetero and Viatris (through its subsidiary Mylan), to manufacture and supply dolutegravir (DTG) and DTG-based regimen to Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Malaysia.
Sergey Filippovich, director of #SoS_project at the Alliance for Public Health: “In the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the region with the greatest HIV treatment deficit and limited resources, this is a real breakthrough. Now even more people will be able to receive the latest innovative treatment and significantly improve the quality of their health. In this example of cooperation, we see that through joint efforts, access to effective ART will be expanded. And our work with the partners of the regional project to build the sustainability of HIV services continues. ”
In late 2020, ViiV Healthcare (the manufacturer of the delusional drug) and MPP signed a licensing agreement for these four countries, aimed at expanding access to generics of dolutegravir and ensuring a lower cost of the drug.
“We are delighted that more people living with HIV in the four countries will soon be able to access DTG-based regimens, especially TLD (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/lamivudine/dolutegravir), the first-line regimen recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), which will now be available in these countries in a single pill,” says Charles Gore, Executive Director of MPP.
An official press release from MPP indicates that Hetero and Viatris (through its subsidiary Mylan) were selected following a rigorous and impartial selection process. They are longstanding partners of the Medical Patent Pool and have a proven track record of developing, manufacturing and supplying essential medicines to countries around the world, including low- and middle-income countries. “As Hetero and Mylan have already received approvals for DTG and TLD from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and WHO prequalification, they will be able to supply these much-needed products rapidly to the four countries. A third generic manufacturer is in the process of being selected.”