Janssen eases HIV patent burden
pharmafile | December 3, 2012 | News story | Sales and Marketing | AIDS, Janssen, Prezista, darunavir
In a move which should appeal to public health campaigners, Janssen has declared that it will not enforce patents for HIV drug Prezista (darunavir) in parts of Africa and other poor countries.
It means that generic manufacturers can manufacture darunavir for use in sub-Saharan Africa and the world’s least developed countries (LDCs), without the threat of Janssen issuing writs for infringing its intellectual property.
The company will stick to this as long as these versions of the antiretroviral are “medically acceptable and…used only in resource-limited settings”.
Many countries in the huge area south of the Sahara desert have been ravaged by AIDS, and the idea of relaxing its patents, Janssen says, is to support a sustainable supply of the drug to affected communities.
“We believe that an effective access strategy includes responsible intellectual property management,” said Paul Stoffels, chairman, pharmaceuticals at Johnson & Johnson.
“Intellectual property should not be a barrier to ensuring a sustainable supply of medically acceptable darunavir in the world’s poorest countries,” he added.
While the list of United Nations-designated LDCs is dominated by African states, others outside the continent where Janssen’s declaration will apply include Yemen, Bangladesh and Haiti.
Janssen says its new policy anticipates a greater future need to supply affordable generic versions of the drug for those living with HIV.
Currently indicated as a third-line treatment in these countries, Janssen says that as more patients fail their initial treatment regimens as HIV drug resistance grows, demand will increase.
Prezista is a protease inhibitor, used in conjunction with 100mg ritonavir and other antiretroviral agents, and was approved in the US in 2006.
Last month the FDA approved a new double-strength 800mg Prezista tablet, which means that patients will now only have to take one per day, rather than two.
Adam Hill
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