Addressing The Burden of HIV
ACCESS TO MEDICINES HIV medications help Thabo feel strong so he can enjoy time with his mother in South Africa. Johnson & Johnson expanded its Global Access Program in 2011 to make its HIV portfolio available to more people like him, who otherwise might not get the medicines they need.
This story appears in the Johnson & Johnson 2011 Annual Report
In March 2011, several non-exclusive licenses were granted to generic manufacturers in South Africa and India to manufacture, market and distribute rilpivirine, an investigational anti-HIV medication subsequently granted approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency.
“Johnson & Johnson has expanded the scope of its Global Access Programs and licensed generic partners to speed access to rilpivirine, an important new medicine to treat HIV,” says Alan Staple, Manager of Strategic Relationships, The Clinton Health Access Initiative.
Licensing agreements help provide access to rilpivirine in 112 low-resource countries, including Vietnam and Thailand, covering more than 80 percent of people living with HIV worldwide.
Agreements now exist with five generic manufacturers to ensure widespread access to and supply of rilpivirine, both as a single-agent medicine and as a fixed-dose combination with multiple medicines in one tablet that will simplify HIV therapy. Four of these agreements were signed prior to receiving regulatory approvals for rilpivirine, allowing generic manufacturers to make generic rilpivirine and the combination pill available more quickly. Collaboration with generic companies extends beyond licensing to sharing technical skills and providing help to ensure safety and quality, as well.
In May 2011, the FDA granted approval of EDURANT® (rilpivirine) for treatment-naïve adults (those who have never taken HIV therapy). It is the third anti-HIV medication commercialized by Janssen Therapeutics, Division of Janssen Products, LP; together with PREZISTA® (darunavir) and INTELENCE® (etravirine), the company can provide treatment options for patients at all stages of the disease.
Since 2007, licensing agreements have been used with generic manufacturers to make these HIV medicines available at a low special access price to 65 countries that have a high HIV burden, including India and nations in sub-Saharan Africa. More recently the agreements have been modified to provide access to rilpivirine in 112 low-resource countries, including Vietnam and Thailand, covering more than 80 percent of people living with HIV worldwide.
To Learn More:
Our Giving in HIV/AIDS
Clinton Health Access Initiative
