Washington — The US state department announced a plan on Thursday to bring the Gilead Sciences drug lenacapavir to market “at cost” in high-burden HIV countries in an effort to reach 2-million people over three years.
The company will offer the long-acting HIV prevention drug to the Global Fund and the US government’s Pepfar programme without profit, government and company officials said at a news briefing.
Gilead Sciences and the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria said in July they had finalised plans to supply the drug to low-income countries, despite the absence of funding from the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, or Pepfar, an initiative aimed at addressing the global HIV/Aids epidemic.
Jeremy Lewin, senior state department official for foreign assistance, humanitarian affairs and religious freedom, would not say how much the US government was providing.
“Gilead is very generously offering us a product at cost, so we’re not going to give away exactly what their cost per dose is, but we’re grateful to them for offering it at a price that makes this possible. The US commitment is significant,” he said.
The medication, given in a twice-yearly injection, has significant advantages for breastfeeding women and pregnant mothers, he said.
The state department has agreements with 12 countries that will receive doses of the drugs but is not identifying them at this time, Lewin said.
Reuters
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.