Gilead signs royalty-free licensing deal to increase access to lenacapavir

US antivirals giant Gilead Sciences (Nasdaq: GILD) today announced that it has signed non-exclusive, royalty-free voluntary licensing agreements with six generic drugmakers to make and sell generic lenacapavir, subject to required regulatory approvals, in 120 high-incidence, resource-limited countries, which are primarily low- and lower-middle income countries.

The agreements were signed in advance of any global regulatory submissions to enable these countries to quickly introduce generic versions of lenacapavir for HIV prevention, if approved.

The company said the agreements advance Gilead’s strategy to enable broad, sustainable access to lenacapavir for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) globally if it is approved, and align with Gilead’s vision of ending the HIV epidemic for everyone, everywhere.