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New Straits Times
17-07-2025
- Health
- New Straits Times
Malaysia leads push for collective Asean action on HIV treatment affordability
KUCHING: With the cost of treating human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients in Asean countries likely to soar as the number of new cases rise sharply yearly, Deputy Health Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni has called on member states to work collectively to lower the cost of treatment to affordable and equitable level. With international funding across the region shrinking, he said, member states must therefore move forward not in isolation, but as a unified region. Opening the Asean regional dialogue on affordable anti-retroviral drugs and workshop on promoting community-based testing for key population here, he warned that their failure to cut the high cost of treatment leaves Asean countries at risk of losing the momentum of their fight in tackling HIV/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). "With significant reductions in support from global mechanisms such as the Global Fund and PEPFAR, Asean countries are at risk of losing critical momentum. This is especially alarming when we consider the increasing cost burden of providing HIV services." PEPFAR is the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief,a United States government initiative launched in 2003 by former president George W. Bush to combat the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. Lukanisman said if Asean could secure equitable access to treatment, it would keep the grouping "firmly on the path to ending AIDS by 2030". Later, in his press conference, he said the cost of treatment per victim is RM500 per year. But with the new drug called TLD — TenofovirLamivudine-Dolutegravir — the cost is RM209 per year. "But we are trying to reduce it to RM100." He said ensuring access to affordable next-generation anti-retroviral drugs, especially Dolutegravir (DTG) and TLD, becomes even more urgent. "These medications are essential for sustaining treatment success and are aligned with World Health Organisation (WHO)-recommended regimens. We must collectively explore strategies to secure better pricing, voluntary licensing and regional procurement solutions through mechanisms such as the Medicines Patent Pool." Reeling figures on HIV cases in the country,Lukanisman said there has been "a huge decrease" of 50 per cent since 2010. "Malaysia has made notable progress in the national HIV response, with our 2024 treatment cascade now standing at 64–94–93. This means 64 per cent of people living with HIV in Malaysia know their status, 94 per cent of those diagnosed are on treatment, and 93 per cent of those on treatment are virally suppressed." The target set, he said , was 95-95-95. He said while Malaysia is proud of its high treatment and viral suppression rates, the biggest gap the country must urgently address is in diagnosis. "To reach the first 95 target, we must find innovative and targeted approaches to increase HIV screening and diagnosis, especially among key populations. One of the most effective strategies is community-based testing (CBT) — testing led by communities, for communities. "It is a strategy proven to reach individuals who might not, otherwise, access health facilities due to stigma, discrimination, or other barriers. CBT, particularly when led by key population groups or trusted non-governmental organisations, is not only efficient, it is empowering." More than 15 health experts from Brunei, Cambodia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, the Philippines, Singapore and host Malaysia are attending the workshop.
The Star
17-07-2025
- Health
- The Star
Asean nations urged to cooperate on lowering cost of next-gen drugs for HIV patients
Deputy Health Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni (sixth left) and other dignitaries at the opening of the Asean regional dialogue on affordable antiretroviral drugs and promoting community-based testing in Kuching. KUCHING: Asean member states must work together to reduce the cost of next-generation antiretroviral (ARV) drugs for HIV patients in their respective countries, says Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni. The Deputy Health Minister said regional cooperation was vital to procure these drugs at fair and affordable prices. "The cost of ARV drugs is high due to their intellectual property, so we need to work together on regional procurement solutions. "Buying in bulk through an Asean regional platform will facilitate easier access to these drugs," he told reporters after opening the Asean regional dialogue on affordable ARV drugs and promoting community-based testing here on Thursday (July 17). Lukanisman also said Malaysia was working to reduce the cost of a new fixed-dose combination drug known as tenofovir-lamivudine-dolutegravir (TLD). "The current ARV costs about RM500 a year. TLD is a new medicine that would cost over RM200 a month, but we want to reduce it to at least RM100 per month. "The cost is higher than the previous ARV, but it's more effective in treating patients," he said. In his speech earlier, Lukanisman said access to affordable next-generation ARV drugs like TLD was essential to sustain the HIV response in Asean countries. However, he said the region was facing the twin challenges of declining international funding and increasing costs of providing HIV services. "We must work together to pursue fair pricing, support voluntary licensing and develop regional procurement solutions through mechanisms like the Medicines Patent Pool," he said. The Medicines Patent Pool is an international public health organisation that aims to increase access to essential medicines for low- and middle-income countries through voluntary licensing and patent pooling. Lukanisman also said the dialogue was a platform to strengthen regional solidarity and reaffirm Asean's collective commitment to ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. He said the experience and best practices of countries like Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia could guide the way forward for the region. "This dialogue enables us to learn from one another and coordinate efforts across Asean," he said.
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Business Standard
15-07-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Aurobindo Pharma to manufacture, supply long acting HIV treatment drug
The Hyderabad-based drugmaker has been selected as one of the generic manufacturers under the expanded voluntary licensing agreement between the Medicines Patent Pool and ViiV Healthcare Press Trust of India 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.
Reuters
14-07-2025
- Health
- Reuters
ViiV expands licence to allow generic HIV treatment production for low-income countries
LONDON, July 14 (Reuters) - ViiV Healthcare, the HIV-focused joint venture majority owned by GSK (GSK.L), opens new tab, said on Monday it has expanded its licensing deal with the Medicines Patent Pool to allow generic production of its long-acting injectable HIV treatment cabotegravir. The updated licence, which builds on an earlier agreement covering cabotegravir for HIV prevention, will enable three generic drugmakers to develop and supply the treatment for use in combination with Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ.N), opens new tab rilpivirine in 133 countries, including all low-income, lower-middle income, and Sub-Saharan African nations. ViiV's regimen -- the only approved long-acting injectable treatment for HIV -- is administered once every one or two months, an alternative to daily pills. The World Health Organization last week recommended long-acting cabotegravir and rilpivirine as a treatment option for people who are virologically suppressed but struggle with adherence to oral regimens. The new licence also builds on an existing Medicines Patent Pool agreement covering cabotegravir for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), signed in 2022. The existing licensees -- Aurobindo ( opens new tab, Cipla ( opens new tab and Viatris (VTRS.O), opens new tab -- will now be able to develop and manufacture generic versions of the long-acting treatment, subject to regulatory approvals. "As leaders in long-acting innovation we're proud to be expanding our voluntary licence to include treatment," said ViiV CEO Deborah Waterhouse. "We're committed to working with partners like MPP to increase access and reach those most impacted by HIV." The announcement comes after Gilead Sciences (GILD.O), opens new tab and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria last week finalised a separate deal to supply long-acting HIV prevention drug, lenacapavir, to low-income countries at cost -- part of a push to expand access to innovative HIV medicines in the Global South. ViiV is majority-owned by GSK, with Pfizer (PFE.N), opens new tab and Shionogi (4507.T), opens new tab as shareholders.
Japan Today
22-06-2025
- Business
- Japan Today
When developing countries band together, lifesaving drugs become cheaper and easier to buy − with trade-offs
Pooling procurement of drugs could increase the availability of essential treatments around the globe. By Lucy Xiaolu Wang and Nahim Bin Zahur Procuring lifesaving drugs is a daunting challenge in many low- and middle-income countries. Essential treatments are often neither available nor affordable in these nations, even decades after the drugs entered the market. Prospective buyers from these countries face a patent thicket, where a single drug may be covered by hundreds of patents. This makes it costly and legally difficult to secure licensing rights for manufacturing. These buyers also face a complex and often fragile supply chain. Many major pharmaceutical firms have little incentive to sell their products in unprofitable markets. Quality assurance adds another layer of complexity, with substandard and counterfeit drugs widespread in many of these countries. Organizations such as the United Nations-backed Medicines Patent Pool have effectively increased the supply of generic versions of patented drugs. But the problems go beyond patents or manufacturing – how medicines are bought are also crucially important. Buyers for low- and middle-income countries are often health ministries and community organizations on tight budgets that have to negotiate with sellers that may have substantial market power and far more experience. We are economists who study how to increase access to drugs across the globe. Our research found that while pooling orders for essential medicines can help drive down costs and ensure a steady supply to low- and middle-income countries, there are trade-offs that require flexibility and early planning to address. Understanding these trade-offs can help countries better prepare for future health emergencies and treat chronic conditions. Pooled procurement reduces drug costs One strategy low-income countries are increasingly adopting to improve treatment access is 'pooled procurement.' That's when multiple buyers coordinate purchases to strengthen their collective bargaining power and reduce prices for essential medicines. For example, pooling can help buyers meet the minimum batch size requirements some suppliers impose that countries purchasing individually may not satisfy. Countries typically rely on four models for pooled drug procurement: -- One method, called decentralized procurement, involves buyers purchasing directly from manufacturers. -- Another method, called international pooled procurement, involves going through international institutions such as the Global Fund's Pooled Procurement Mechanism or the United Nations. -- Countries may also purchase prescription drugs through their own central medical stores, which are government-run or semi-autonomous agencies that procure, store and distribute medicines on behalf of national health systems. This method is called centralized domestic procurement. -- Finally, countries can also go through independent nonprofits, foundations, nongovernmental organizations and private wholesalers. We wanted to understand how different procurement methods affect the cost of and time it takes to deliver drugs for HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, because those three infectious diseases account for a large share of deaths and cases worldwide. So we analyzed over 39,000 drug procurement transactions across 106 countries between 2007 and 2017 that were funded by the Global Fund, the largest multilateral funder of HIV/AIDS programs worldwide. We found that pooled procurement through international institutions reduced prices by 13% to 20% compared with directly buying from drug manufacturers. Smaller buyers and those purchasing drugs produced by only a small number of manufacturers saw the greatest savings. In comparison, purchasing through domestic pooling offered less consistent savings, with larger buyers seeing greater price advantages. The Global Fund and the United Nations were especially effective at lowering the prices of older, off-patent drugs. Trade-offs with pooled procurements Cost savings from pooled drug procurement may come with trade-offs. While the Global Fund reduced unexpected delivery delays by 28%, it required buyers to place orders much earlier. This results in longer anticipated procurement lead time between ordering and delivery – an average of 114 days more than that of direct purchases. In contrast, domestic pooled procurement shortened lead times by over a month. Our results suggest a core tension: Pooled procurement improves prices and reliability but can reduce flexibility. Organizations that facilitate pooled procurement tend to prioritize medicines that can be bought at high volume, limiting the availability of other types of drugs. Additionally, the longer lead times may not be suitable for emergency situations. With the spread of COVID-19, several large armed conflicts and tariff wars, governments have become increasingly aware of the fragility of the global supply chain. Some countries, such as Kenya, have sought to reduce their dependence on international pooling since 2005 by investing in domestic procurement. But a shift toward domestic self-sufficiency is a slow and difficult process due to challenges with quality assurance and large-scale manufacturing. It may also weaken international pooled systems, which rely on broad participation to negotiate better terms with suppliers. Interestingly, we found little evidence that international pooled procurement influences pricing for the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, a major purchaser of HIV treatments for developing countries. PEPFAR-eligible products do not appear to benefit more from international pooled procurement than noneligible ones. However, domestic procurement institutions were able to secure lower prices for PEPFAR-eligible products. This suggests that the presence of a large donor such as PEPFAR can cut costs, particularly when countries manage procurement internally. USAID cuts and global drug access While international organizations such as the Medicines Patent Pool and the Global Fund can address upstream barriers such as patents and procurement in the global drug supply chain, other institutions are essential for ensuring that medicines actually reach patients. The U.S. Agency for International Development had played a significant role in delivering HIV treatment abroad through PEPFAR. The Trump administration's decision in February 2025 to cut over 90% of USAID's foreign aid contracts amounted to a US$60 billion reduction in overall U.S. assistance globally. An estimated hundreds of thousands of deaths are already happening, and millions more will likely die. The World Health Organization warned that eight countries, including Haiti, Kenya, Nigeria and Ukraine, could soon run out of HIV treatments due to these aid cuts. In South Africa, HIV services have already been scaled back, with reports of mass layoffs of health workers and HIV clinic closures. These downstream cracks can undercut the gains from efforts to make procuring drugs more accessible if the drugs can't reach patients. Because HIV, tuberculosis and malaria often share the same treatment infrastructure – including drug procurement and distribution networks, laboratory systems, data collection, health workers and community-based services – disruption in the management of one disease can ripple across the others. Researchers have warned of a broader unraveling of progress across these infectious diseases, describing the fallout as a potential 'bloodbath' in the global HIV response. Research shows that supporting access to treatments around the world doesn't just save lives abroad. It also helps prevent the next global health crisis from reaching America's doorstep. Lucy Xiaolu Wang is Assistant Professor, Department of Resource Economics, UMass Amherst. Nahim Bin Zahur Assistant Professor of Economics, Queen's University, Ontario. The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. External Link © The Conversation
