Gilead Signs License Agreements With Generic Drug Makers in India To Produce Antiretroviral Drug Viread
Pharmaceutical company Gilead has signed nonexclusive license agreements with three generic drug makers in India to produce generic versions of its antiretroviral drug Viread, the company announced Sunday at the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto, the Wall Street Journal reports (Wall Street Journal, 8/15). Gilead earlier this month was in negotiations with 10 Indian generic drug companies to assist them in producing generic versions of its patented antiretroviral drugs. Under Gilead's proposals, generic drug companies would be allowed to sell generic versions of the antiretrovirals -- including Truvada and Viread -- only in developing countries, and the drugs would look different from the patented versions (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 8/8). The license agreements grant Emcure Pharmaceuticals, Hetero Drugs and Strides Arcolab the rights to manufacture and distribute tenofovir, the generic version of Viread, to 95 low-income countries, including India, Gilead said. The financial terms of the agreements were not made public (AP/Houston Chronicle, 8/14). "We are pleased to have finalized agreements with Emcure, Hetero, and Strides Arcolab and anticipate granting additional licenses over time to help meet the needs of patients in the developing world," Gilead President and CEO John Martin said (Gilead release, 8/14). He added, "We hope that competition among multiple manufacturers will result in even lower prices for Viread in the developing world than what Gilead is currently offering" (AP/Houston Chronicle, 8/14).
Kaisernetwork.org is serving as the official webcaster of the conference. View the guide to coverage and all webcasts, interviews and a daily video round up of conference highlights at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/aids2006.