October 2, 2024 | Access to Medicines

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Gilead’s Access Strategy for Lenacapavir Will Unnecessarily Prolong the HIV Pandemic Activists Call for Affordable Access for all Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Contact:
Asia Russell (Health GAP): 1 267 4785 2645 | asia@healthgap.org

Activists reacted to Gilead’s announcement of plans to license lenacapavir, a long acting injectable for HIV prevention and treatment, to 6 generic companies that would supply 120 low-  and middle-income countries. Lenacapavir has been shown to be highly effective in stopping HIV acquisition among populations at greatest risk of infection. Worldwide there are 1.3 million HIV infections every year, with one new HIV infection every 24 seconds.

“Gilead’s voluntary licenses for prevention and therapeutic uses are inadequate to meet the urgent need for full and affordable access to this potentially game-changing technology,” said Brook Baker, Health GAP Senior Analyst and Professor Emeritus of Northeastern University School of Law. 

“Access to lenacapavir for all who need it represents an opportunity to defeat this pandemic, and Gilead’s strategy fails to meet this extraordinary moment,” said Asia Russell, Health GAP Executive Director. Three months ago, Health GAP and other activists protested Gilead’s $42,000/year launch price and aggressive global patenting strategy during the International AIDS Conference in Munich. ““Gilead’s unilateral control of supply and price in all countries excluded from their voluntary licenses territories will allow it to maximize profits, while HIV prevention falls further off track. Lenacapavir must be available to everyone, everywhere. Governments can and should take steps now to overcome barriers presented by Gilead’s patents.”     

“Gilead’s licensing deal has excluded from their licenses countries where the epidemic is growing fastest, including among key populations of gay and bisexual men, people who inject drugs, transgender women, sex workers, and other marginalized and criminalized populations, including in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Peru, countries where people put their bodies on the line and participated in the scientific research that showed lenacapavir’s efficacy, but where Gilead will most certainly price lenacapavir out of reach. This is deeply unethical,” added Baker.  

“License terms also prevent its six designated licensees from supplying excluded countries even if those countries do not have patents on lenacapavir and even if the excluded countries issue compulsory licenses.   

“Gilead has not announced an actual price, a formula for how prices are to be calculated, or which territories will be excluded from their so-called ‘not for profit’ price. Lenacapavir can be made for between $100-40 per year, which is the price at which it should be available in all low and middle income countries.  

“Gilead has agreed to prioritize regulatory authorization in only 18 of the 120 licensed territories, meaning that 102 countries may struggle to secure access.”


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