Roche signs drug licensing agreement with MPP
On August 5, Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche signed an agreement with the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) to increase access to its drug valganciclovir (Valcyte), an oral medicine for the treatment of preventable viral infection cytomegalovirus (CMV).
Under terms of the agreement, Roche will begin licensing and technology negotiations with the MPP to improve access to affordable generic versions of Valcyte, and will slash the price of the drug by up to 90 percent in 138 countries.
CMV causes blindness in patients with suppressed immune systems. It affects about 10 percent of people living with HIV in low and middle income countries, mostly in Asia, and to a lesser extent in Latin America and Africa.
CMV patients in developing countries are currently treated with the injection of medication directly into the eye, which is painful and difficult to administer on a large scale.
“The agreement announced today will make a more affordable oral treatment for CMV available immediately and also catalyse the creation of a sustainable generic market,” said executive director of MPP Greg Perry.
Daniel O’Day, chief operating officer at Roche Pharma, said: “This agreement demonstrates how working together can improve the availability of treatments for people in resource-limited countries.
“Our aim is to provide access to affordable Valcyte that is produced under quality conditions and increase the number of people who access and benefit from our products.”
The MPP has also announced it will work with other stakeholders to scale up the use of Valcyte in developing countries.
In a statement accompanying the agreement Roche said it will license HIV antiretroviral drug saquinavir to the MPP if needed in future.
Adam Cooke, partner at DLA Piper in London, said that there is an increasing trend for the patent pool model: “I think that businesses want to improve their credentials in terms of being seen to assist less advantaged populations when they can,” he said.
“I’m sure that Roche would want to help insofar as it’s able to in assisting those suffering from HIV but who cannot afford the cost of treatment.”
Though he said there may be risks involved in supplying a drug at a cut price: “You want to be sure that it reaches the intended population and doesn’t get diverted on route and then resold at a much higher price,” he said.
The MPP is a United Nations-backed initiative established in 2010. Its goal is lowering the prices of HIV medicines in developing countries by creating a pool of patents for generic companies to license, and stimulating generic competition.
