The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
STORYLINE
Injectable HIV medicines deal to provide access to generic lifesaver in developing nations
A landmark agreement has been reached allowing for the production of low-cost, injectable HIV medicines in some 90 developing countries where more the majority of infections occur, UNITAID said on Friday.
Selected manufacturers will be able to develop, manufacture and supply lower-cost generic versions of long-acting Cabotegravir (CAB-LA), in line with a deal reached with pharmaceutical firm ViiV Healthcare (ViiV).
“The Medicines Patent Pool, a structure created and largely funded by UNITAID, has reached a voluntary licensing agreement for patents relating to Cabotegravir long-acting, an injectable form of HIV prevention, or PrEP, to generic formulations of the product in least-developed, low-income, lower-middle income and sub-Saharan African countries,” said UNITAID spokesperson Hervé Verhoosel.
The deal is significant because Cabotegravir injections are only needed once every few months. Increasing its supply at a cost that is affordable to low-income countries could help to overcome the stigma that’s associated with taking daily HIV pills - and the burden of having to remember to take them.
“In the 90 countries that we are talking about, 80 countries are royalty-free, meaning that ViiV won’t ask for any royalty on the product and for 10 of those countries, ViiV is asking for a smaller-than-usual royalty,” Mr. Verhoosel explained.
The agreement comes after UNITAID-led discussions began in May this year with ViiV, a subsidiary of pharma giant GlaxoSmithkline. It is only seven months since Cabotegravir LA received regulatory approval.
But the process of selecting the companies that will develop, manufacture and supply generic versions of Cabotegravir will take much longer.
“This product will not be there for everybody, that’s first for people who are there the most at risk,” said Mr. Verhoosel, who noted that the cost of the medicine in the US when it comes onstream there “really soon”, was likely to be around $20,000. “That’s a lot of money; that’s why that product cannot be used in low and middle-income countries.”
According to UNITAID, the deal offers the possibility of making the injectable prophylactic medicine available in 90 countries where more than 70 per cent of all new HIV infections occurred in 2020.
Up to three drug manufacturers will be licensed to develop the product on a generic basis to avoid supply and distribution issues. “That’s done in a way that we’re sure (that) one, it’s easy for logistics, two…availability, and three, of course, that it will help to bring the cost of the generic version down”, said Mr. Verhoosel.
ends
STORY: Injectable HIV Prevention Medicines Deal - UNITAID
TRT: 02’05”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: Friday 29 July 2022, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Medium shot, UN Geneva flag alley.
- Wide shot, press room with panel of speakers, journalists, TV camera on tripod.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Hervé Verhoosel, UNITAID: “The Medicines Patent Pool, a structure created and largely funded by UNITAID, has reached a voluntary licensing agreement for patents relating to cabotegravir long-acting, an injectable form of HIV prevention, or PrEP, to generic formulations of the product in least-developed, low-income, lower-middle income and sub-Saharan African countries.”
- Medium shot, lateral, podium speakers.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Hervé Verhoosel, UNITAID: “In the 90 countries that we are talking about, 80 countries are royalty-free, meaning that ViiV (ViiV Healthcare) don’t ask any royalty on the product and for 10 of those countries ViiV is asking for a smaller-than-usual royalty.”
- Wide shot, journalists, TV camera, light panel.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Hervé Verhoosel, UNITAID: “This product will not be there for everybody, that’s first for people who are there the most at risk. That’s a product that’s available in the US, and the price of that product for one year in the US for example is approximately 20,000 US dollars, and that’s a lot of money; that’s why that product cannot be used in low and middle-income countries.”
- Medium shot, journalists seated at tables, TV camera.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Hervé Verhoosel, UNITAID: “This licence will actually give the option to three different generic manufacturers to develop the product on a generic base. That means that the price that those companies will have we don’t know yet, but that will not only be one company, that will be three different companies and that’s done in a way that we’re sure one, that it’s easy for logistics, two, that ensuring availability, and three, of course, that it will help to bring the cost of the generic version down.”
- Medium shot, journalists.
- Wide shot, journalists, TV camera and light panel.
- Medium shot, journalist.
- Medium shot, journalists, side shot.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Israeli military operations in Lebanon continue to kill and injure civilians, and destroy civilian infrastructure, raising concerns regarding the protection of civilians, the UN Human Rights Office warned today.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM , UNWOMEN , UNDP
Sudan: Aid teams report massive displacement after latest Darfur atrocity; women’s bodies ‘turned into battlegrounds’
In Sudan’s North Darfur, tens of thousands of people have fled a displacement camp following the massacre of civilians and aid workers as the country enters the third year of a conflict marked by horrific levels of sexual violence, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | ITC
Global trade could shrink by three per cent as a result of the United States’ new tariff measures which in the longer term could reshape and boost as-yet untapped regional commercial links, a top UN economist confirmed on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Warring parties in Sudan are overseeing a wholesale assault on human rights amid global inaction, the UN Human Rights Office said on Friday, as the conflict is about to enter its third year.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office on Friday said Israel’s increasing issuance of so-called “evacuation orders” for Palestinians in Gaza have resulted in their forcible transfer.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , OHCHR , UNHCR , UNWOMEN , WFP , WHO
Two years of war in Sudan have created epic suffering, aid agencies say
Two years since Sudan’s brutal conflict began, UN agencies warned that famine is spreading and civilians of all ages continue to suffer shocking abuse, including rape and gang rape.
1
1
Edited News | UNMAS
In Gaza, ongoing Israeli military operations and the aid blockade have continued to add to daily fears and hardships confronting those in the devastated enclave, the UN Mine Action Service, UNMAS, said on Wednesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNDP
Dangers grow for Myanmar earthquake survivors, health system 'overwhelmed' - UNDP
In earthquake-shattered central Myanmar people are sleeping in the streets in fear of buildings collapsing, facing early monsoon rains and the risk of waterborne diseases, the UN Development Programme warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | ICRC , OHCHR , UNHCR
Myanmar’s military has continued to launch airstrikes and other attacks against opposition forces in the devastated country, one week since a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck and despite announcing a ceasefire, UN human rights chief Volker Türk said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif on Tuesday presented a report on the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, detailing the continued violations of human rights as a result of the offensive launched by the Rwandan-backed M23 in eastern DRC.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF , IFRC
UN humanitarians and partners on Tuesday expressed deep shock at the killing of 15 colleagues on duty in southern Gaza whose remains were recovered from a shallow grave after a week-long rescue operation, noting that one worker is still missing.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , OCHA , WHO , UNHCR
Myanmar earthquake latest: window for lifesaving support is closing, say UN humanitarians
As the death toll continues to rise in earthquake-struck Myanmar, UN humanitarians have been rushing to support severely deprived and traumatized victims, warning that the window for lifesaving response is closing.