As the World Health Organization (WHO) releases its guidelines Update of recommendations on first- and second-line antiretroviral regimens, the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) confirms that high-quality affordable versions of key HIV treatments can already be rolled out in developing countries through MPP generic manufacturing partners and other stakeholders. The MPP holds licences for dolutegravir (DTG), part of the WHO preferred first- and second-line treatments, which allow generic manufacturers to develop and supply DTG containing regimens to people living with HIV in 94 low- and middle-income countries (adult use) and 121 countries (paediatric use). Seven MPP manufacturing partners have already supplied DTG and DTG-based regimens in 66 countries. The MPP also holds licences for lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r), the recommended preferred second-line treatment when DTG-based regimens have failed; tenofovir alafenamide (TAF), part of WHO-recommended regimens as alternative in children and in special circumstan...

Geneva, 10 July 2019 – This week the World Health Organization (WHO) released its newly updated 21st WHO Model List of Essential Medicines (EML) and 7th WHO Model List of Essential Medicines for children (EMLc), in which key treatments and combinations licensed to the MPP have now been included, namely hepatitis C treatment glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (G/P), antiretroviral regimen tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/lamivudine/dolutegravir (TLD) and HIV medicine dolutegravir 50mg for children above 25kg. “Putting an end to the hepatitis epidemic remains a huge challenge in developing countries so we are very pleased that G/P has been added to the WHO’s Essential Medicines Lists,” said Charles Gore, Executive Director of MPP. "This all-oral, once-daily, pan-genotypic combination regimen is an important new option for people living with chronic hepatitis C.” “We want people living with HIV in low- and middle-income countries to have access to the best possible treatment at the same time as patients in high-income...