Pharmaceutical firm Hetero on Wednesday said it has entered into a new partnership with Gilead Sciences Ireland UC to manufacture and distribute HIV treatment drug lenacapavir in 120 primarily low- and lower-middle income countries.
The non-exclusive, royalty-free voluntary licensing agreement will broaden access to lenacapavir, the innovative HIV treatment used in combination with other antiretrovirals and will support efforts to prevent HIV through pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), the company said in a statement.
"This partnership with Gilead Sciences strengthens our resolve to push the boundaries of HIV prevention and treatment," Hetero Group of Companies Managing Director Vamsi Krishna Bandi said.
Hetero said the collaboration marks a significant step in expanding access to life-saving treatments for heavily treatment-experienced patients with multi-drug-resistant HIV and offers a promising option for HIV prevention in underserved regions.
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Lenacapavir works with other anti-retroviral drugs to treat multi-drug-resistant HIV-1 infections, the company added.
It has a unique ability to target multiple stages of the HIV lifecycle, making it highly effective for patients with limited treatment options.
Earlier this month, Gilead announced promising results from a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial. The interim analysis demonstrated that lenacapavir reduced HIV infections by 96 per cent compared to the background HIV incidence, the statement added.
Lenacapavir is also being studied as a long-acting HIV prevention drug in ongoing clinical trials, the company said.
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