Medicines Patent Pool Signs License Agreement For AbbVie Pediatric HIV Drugs

The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP), a Swiss non-profit, announced a license agreement with AbbVie for two Pediatric HIV medications, lopinavir and ritonavir.  The deal, announced on World AIDS Day, is expected to allow other companies to manufacture the drugs at prices more accessible to low income patients and re-formulate the drugs to better suit pediatric populations, Intellectual Property Watch (IPW) reports.

Under the terms of the agreement, MPP will be able to license the drugs to generic manufacturers for distribution in 102 countries, classified as low to middle income, where AbbVie does not currently hold patent. MPP reports that AbbVie recently withdrew its patent application from India.

According to MPP, “The license will enable other companies and organizations to re-formulate and manufacture specially designed LPV/r and r pediatric treatments for distribution…where 99 percent of children with HIV in the developing world live.”

The two AbbVie drugs are the WHO’s top recommended medications for children living with HIV.

Katie Moore told IPW that this license is of particular importance because current formulations of the drugs pose significant issues when administered to children. The pediatric form is liquid, it requires refrigeration and because of certain chemical properties of the drug, the liquid is extremely astringent.

Greg Perry, MPP executive director, said in a press release, “LPV/r in its current form is not suitable for those most vulnerable, infants and toddlers living with HIV. Now, MPP and its partners have the green light to speed the development and distribution of new formulations for young children.”

The WHO estimates that there are 3.2 million children living with HIV, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. Transmission usually occurs through child-birth or breastfeeding, and though interventions can reduce the probability of transmission to 2 percent, intervention is not always accessible for children in these nations.

The MPP was formed in 2010 with support from UNITAID for the purpose of buying licenses for HIV treatments and for re-developing generic or alternate formulations for distribution for those most in need.

The MPP has signed deals with several big pharma giants, including Bristol Myers-Squibb, Gilead Sciences, F.Hoffman-La Roche, and the U.S. National Institute of Health for a total of 9 anti-virals.  These licenses have been taken over by ten generic manufacturers who are currently distributing HIV medications in developing nations.