Merck Offers Free License for HIV Drug to be Use for Young Children in Developing Countries

Drugmaker Merck & Co has agreed to allow one of its HIV medicines to be manufactured and sold at a competitive price for the use of young children in poor countries.
The Medicines Patent Pool said the deal will allow any generic or brand name drug manufacturer to make low-cost pediatric versions of Merck's raltegravir for sale in 92 low- and middle-income countries, according to a press release on Tuesday.

“The World Health Organization recommends raltegravir as a component of paediatric third-line treatment. Its recent extended approval for infants as young as a month suggests its potential in filling an important gap in paediatric care. The medicine's current availability as chewable tablets and granules for oral suspension could potentially ease implementation in paediatric programmes. The medicine is currently in clinical studies for potential use in newborns,” according to the statement.

"This agreement with MPP has been established to provide access to raltegravir to HIV-infected children in developing countries where the burden of HIV infection is highest, including sub-Saharan Africa," said Jackie Neilson, General Manager and Global Commercial Leader for the HIV Franchise, MSD. "This builds upon MSD's three-decade long commitment to both innovation and access to address the global HIV epidemic."

According to the United Nations, about 98 percent of children with HIV live in India,South Africa and other developing countries.