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
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango today told the bi-weekly UN press briefing in Geneva of more details that are emerging on the atrocities committed in El Fasher, in Sudan during and after its takeover by the Rapid Support Forces.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango made the following comment on Friday at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani made the following comment on Friday at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , WHO
Sudan: UN Raises Alarm Over Mass Atrocities in El Fasher as Survivors Report Executions, Killings and Rapes
More details continue to emerge about atrocities committed during and after the fall of El Fasher to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan on 23 October. Since the powerful paramilitary group made a major incursion into the city last week, the UN Human Rights Office has received “horrendous accounts of summary executions, mass killings, rapes, attacks against humanitarian workers, looting, abductions and forced displacement,” said Seif Magango, spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA
Ukraine: Russian attacks on energy terrorize population as winter starts; could trigger major ‘crisis within crisis’
The UN’s top aid official in Ukraine expressed concern on Friday about “continuous attacks” on energy production sites and distribution facilities.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The telecommunications shutdowns in Afghanistan in September had serious and far-reaching impacts on people’s lives, according to a briefing paper published today by the UN Human Rights Office and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence at the UN Geneva press briefing made the following comment on the ASEAN declaration on the right to a healthy environment.
1
1
1
Edited News | IFRC , OCHA , WMO
‘Catastrophic’ Hurricane Melissa hours from landfall in Jamaica as humanitarians rush to save lives
Millions in Jamaica and across the Caribbean are bracing for massive impact from Hurricane Melissa on Tuesday as the UN and partners are warning of a “severe” and “immediate” humanitarian threat.
1
1
Edited News | WHO
‘We need all routes to open’: in Gaza WHO calls for ramp-up of medevacs, easier access for essentials
Two weeks since a ceasefire agreement entered into force in Gaza the World Health Organization (WHO) noted progress on the flow of aid while calling for more evacuations of critical patients and eased entry for essential medicines and supplies.
1
12
1
1
Edited News | WMO , UNITED NATIONS
UN chief urges boost to life-saving weather warning systems, stresses role of climate change science
No country is safe from the devastating impacts of extreme weather — and saving lives means making early-warning systems accessible to all, UN chief António Guterres said on Wednesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
Gazans’ response to food distributions ‘overwhelming’ as humanitarians scale up under fragile ceasefire
In Gaza, the ceasefire is enabling UN humanitarians to reach more desperate people with life-saving food, but greater access is needed to contain the spread of famine.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP , OCHA
UN urges opening of all Gaza crossings to deliver three-month food supply
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned food aid cannot reach everyone in Gaza unless all border crossings are opened, particularly in the north where famine was declared in August. The agency says it already has enough supplies in place to feed the entire population of the Strip for three months – if full access is granted by Israel.