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9 October 2017Biotechnology

Gilead signs licensing deals for HIV treatment

Gilead Sciences has signed licensing agreements with the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) and generic companies to provide greater access to HIV treatment bictegravir.

Announced on Wednesday, October 4, the MPP deal allows the UN-backed public health organisation to sub-license the drug to generic manufacturers in India, China and South Africa for distribution in more than 100 low and middle income countries.

The agreement will become effective once the drug has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Gilead said bictegravir is a “novel investigational integrase strand transfer inhibitor for use in combination with other antiretroviral agents” to treat HIV-1 infection in adults.

The company also announced it has now included bictegravir and associated products in its voluntary licensing agreements with Sun Pharmaceutical, Strides Shasun, Mylan and SeQuent Scientific, allowing them to provide access in 116 developing countries.

Gilead has now signed deals with the MPP and generics producers covering five HIV agents.

Gregg Alton, executive vice president for corporate and medical affairs at Gilead, said more than ten million people in “resource-limited” countries use Gilead-based HIV therapies, “which would not be possible without these strong alliances”.

According to the Gilead statement, the lowest price of a Gilead HIV generic therapy has fallen by 80% since 2006 because of competition.

The MPP focuses on HIV, hepatitis C and tuberculosis in low and middle income countries.

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Africa
29 November 2016   Mylan has entered into a sub-licensing agreement with the Medicines Patent Pool, a UN-backed public health organisation, to expand access to chronic hepatitis C medicines in developing countries.
Americas
9 February 2018   ViiV Healthcare, which was established by major pharma companies, has filed a patent infringement complaint against Gilead Sciences in a case involving an HIV treatment drug.

More on this story

Africa
29 November 2016   Mylan has entered into a sub-licensing agreement with the Medicines Patent Pool, a UN-backed public health organisation, to expand access to chronic hepatitis C medicines in developing countries.
Americas
9 February 2018   ViiV Healthcare, which was established by major pharma companies, has filed a patent infringement complaint against Gilead Sciences in a case involving an HIV treatment drug.