Medicines Patent Pool expands network to enable greater antiretroviral production

2 July 2015

The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) has made a rapid expansion of its network of generic manufacturers to 14, now working no more than 50 projects to develop MPP-licensed antiretrovirals.

Indian companies Lupin and Strides Arcolab have signed agreements to produce dolutegravir, a new HIV medicine that the MPP licensed from ViiV Healthcare two months after its European approval. These agreements follow the announcement made by the MPP on June 9 of sublicenses with Chinese firms HEC Group and Huahai Pharmaceuticals to produce generics of Gilead Sciences’ (Nasdaq: GILD) medicines.

Greg Perry, executive director of the MPP, said: "Over the past year, we have doubled the number of generic companies working with us to develop medicines for low- and middle-income countries," adding: "Increasing the supplier base for new and WHO-recommended HIV therapy is key to meeting international goals for treatment scale-up and will increase competition and drive down prices over the long run."

This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free. A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.

Try before you buy

Free

7 day trial access

Take a Free Trial

All the news that moves the needle in pharma and biotech
Exclusive features, podcasts, interviews, data analyses and commentary from our global network of life sciences reporters.
Receive The Pharma Letter daily news bulletin, free forever.

Become a subscriber

£820

Or £77 per month

Subscribe Now

Unfettered access to industry-leading news, commentary and analysis in pharma and biotech.
Updates from clinical trials, conferences, M&A, licensing, financing, regulation, patents & legal, executive appointments, commercial strategy and financial results.
Daily roundup of key events in pharma and biotech.
Monthly in-depth briefings on Boardroom appointments and M&A news.
Choose from a cost-effective annual package or a flexible monthly subscription

The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed

Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK