AbbVie signs agreement and adds children\’s AIDS drugs to shared patent pool

AbbVie,  a research-based bio pharmaceutical company from the US has signed a Licensing Agreement for HIV Paediatric Formulations of Lopinavir (LPV) and Ritonavir (r) with the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) on World AIDS Day. The license agreement will enable others to re-formulate and manufacture specially designed LPV/r and r paediatric treatments for distribution in the developing world live where more than 99% of children infected with HIV live. The existing form of LPV/r is not suitable for infants and toddlers living with HIV.

Lopinavir and ritonavir are top WHO-recommended medicines for children infected with HIV.

The MPP-AbbVie agreement supports the work of the Paediatric HIV Treatment Initiative (PHTI). The PHTI is currently working to help develop treatment options for paediatrics in the form of fixed-dose combinations (FDCs), to share patents and technology. MPP has already signed license agreements for other paediatric medicines from patent holders Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gilead Sciences and ViiV Healthcare and is in negotiations with Merck/MSD to license paediatric formulations of raltegravir. The MPP-AbbVie agreement covers 102 countries which also permits manufacture and distribution in countries where AbbVie does not hold patents, such as in India.