First-ever compulsory license issued by Colombia, targeting ViiV’s HIV treatment

Colombia’s government yesterday   issued its first-ever compulsory license (CL) for use by the country’s Ministry of Health, to improve access to less-expensive generic versions of the key HIV medicine dolutegravir, without permission from the patent owner - ViiV Healthcare, which is majority-owned by UK pharma major GSK (LSE: GSK).

Medical charity Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), together with Public Citizen and Global Humanitarian Progress Corporation Colombia, welcomed this l move, which it says is an encouraging example for countries in the region and beyond, on how a CL works in practice to improve access to medicines.

Commenting on the development, Dr Carmenza Galves. Medical coordinator for Colombia and Panama, noted: “Colombia’s decision to issue a compulsory license for dolutegravir is great news because, until now, we have not been able to introduce dolutegravir in our medical operations, as the costs have been prohibitive. We therefore very much welcome today's decision and news of the more affordable generic price, as this will facilitate the use of dolutegravir in our first-line treatment of HIV for the survivors of sexual violence whom we serve in our medical operations in Colombia, and it will allow more and more people living with HIV in Colombia to access the most effective medicine.”