FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 28, 2022
Health GAP Statement regarding ViiV – MPP Voluntary Licensing Agreement for CAB-LA
“Just four months ago, ViiV announced it would not pursue voluntary licensing for CAB-LA to allow generic manufacturing and accessible pricing for low- and middle-income countries. Activist pressure is working – it’s the relentless campaigning from communities worldwide that delivered this turnaround,” said Health GAP Executive Director Asia Russell. “But generics won’t reach the market for years and years. ViiV must cut the price now to one equivalent to the price of oral PrEP, and make sufficient supply available so people can actually access it. The time lost while ViiV delays will be measured in preventable infections.
“Today’s announcement is meeting just one of our demands: to deliver a voluntary license by the time of AIDS 2022. This license is not open, doesn’t include tech transfer, and doesn’t include all countries where it is needed. With the current direct and indirect territorial coverage included in this licensing deal, there are still far too many people left behind including those who stand to benefit the most from this scientific advancement. Brazil is an excluded country–when gay men and other men who have sex with men and trans women participated in clinical trials that delivered the data to make CAB-LA a marketable product for ViiV.”
In addition to having demanded a voluntary licensing agreement that covers all low- and middle-income countries – without segmenting markets and including comprehensive technology transfer to deploy this game-changing drug to countries with the largest HIV epidemics, activists are demanding that ViiV:
Price CAB-LA for PrEP comparable to oral PrEP while ViiV is the sole source of CAB-LA;
Stop the secrecy – instead of inexcusable nondisclosure requirements, commit to transparency and public communication regarding all aspects of its access strategy; and
Pledge publicly that scientific research regarding how best to deliver CAB-LA will not precede or impede development of a voluntary licensing agreement. Implementation science must not be used as a smokescreen to delay negotiation over voluntary licensing and announcement of an access price.
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Planning Note: Health GAP is attending in-person the International AIDS Conference, AIDS 2022, in Montreal and will be available for commentary and analysis throughout the conference. Please contact Jessica Bassett at jessica@healthgap.org or via phone or WhatsApp at +1 (929) 866-3929.
