Generic versions of a groundbreaking injectable HIV-prevention drug should be available for US$40 a year in more than 100 countries from 2027, Unitaid and the Gates Foundation said Wednesday.
The two organisations have entered into separate agreements with Indian pharmaceutical companies to produce cheaper generic versions of lenacapavir — a twice-yearly injection shown to reduce the risk of HIV transmission by more than 99.9 per cent — for low- and middle-income countries.
Marketed under the brand name Yeztugo by California-based Gilead Sciences, lenacapavir currently costs around $28,000 a year in the United States (US).
Far cheaper generic versions are therefore “really critical for the scale-up of prevention of HIV,” Carmen Perez Casas, Unitaid’s strategic lead for HIV, told AFP in an interview.
“Now, with this product, we can end HIV.”
In October last year, Gilead announced that it had signed licensing deals with six generic drugmakers to produce and sell the world’s first long-acting pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in poorer countries.
Unitaid, an international health agency, said Wednesday that a partnership had been established with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHA) and Wits RHI to provide the drug at an annual cost of $40 per person across 120 nations starting in 2027.
“The product is going to be at the beginning manufactured in India,” Perez Casas said.
