Aurobindo to produce, supply long acting HIV treatment drug

New Delhi: Aurobindo Pharma on Tuesday said it will manufacture and supply the long-acting injectable HIV treatment cabotegravir across 133 countries.

The Hyderabad-based drugmaker has been selected as one of the generic manufacturers under the expanded voluntary licensing agreement between the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) and ViiV Healthcare, the company said in a statement.

The agreement allows Aurobindo to manufacture and supply the long-acting injectable HIV treatment across 133 countries, including several low and middle-income markets, it added.

This update now includes long-acting cabotegravir (CAB LA) for HIV treatment, in addition to its earlier use for prevention only.

The treatment offers an alternative to daily pills, allowing patients to receive just one injection every one or two months.

"We are privileged to be part of the sub-license expansion from MPP and ViiV to develop, manufacture, and distribute generic CAB LA in select markets for the treatment of HIV-1, in addition to the voluntary licence for PrEP," Aurobindo Pharma Vice Chairman & Managing Director K Nithyananda Reddy said.

This is a significant and timely step towards increasing access to advanced long-acting treatment in LMICs, he added.

Aurobindo remains committed to leveraging its global supply capabilities to make this vital combination long-acting injection therapy widely available and affordable, he stated.

The consideration by ViiV and MPP to include the private market in royalty-bearing countries is a critical step toward expanding access across both public and private sectors, it added.

ViiV Healthcare, the global specialist HIV company majority owned by GSK, with Pfizer and Shionogi as shareholders, and the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP), have announced an update to their voluntary licensing agreement to include patents relating to its use in a long-acting regimen.

The announcement follows updated guidance from the WHO recommending long-acting injectable cabotegravir + rilpivirine as an HIV treatment option.

Existing generic licensees for prevention will be able to develop, manufacture and supply generic CAB LA, for use in combination with long-acting rilpivirine, subject to required regulatory approvals, to help enable access to the long-acting treatment in 133 countries worldwide.

This includes all least-developed, low-income, lower middle-income, and Sub-Saharan African countries, as well as countries where ViiV does not have patent rights for cabotegravir.