Hetero Signs Voluntary Licensing Agreement with Gilead to Transform Global HIV Response

Hyderabad: Hetero, India's leading pharmaceutical company with the widest global reach, on Wednesday announced a new partnership with Gilead Sciences Ireland UC, a non-exclusive, royalty-free voluntary licensing agreement to manufacture and distribute lenacapavir in 120 primarily low- and lower- middle income countries (LMICs). This agreement will broaden access to lenacapavir, the innovative HIV treatment used in combination with other antiretrovirals and will support efforts to prevent HIV through pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

This collaboration marks a significant step in expanding access to life-saving treatments for heavily treatment-experienced patients with multi-drug-resistant HIV and offers a promising option for HIV prevention in underserved regions. Lenacapavir is a breakthrough HIV-1 capsid inhibitor that works with other antiretroviral drugs to treat multi-drug-resistant HIV-1 infections. It has a unique ability to target multiple stages of the HIV lifecycle, making it highly effective for patients with limited treatment options.

Expanding Access to Affordable HIV Treatment

Dr Vamsi Krishna Bandi, Managing Director of Hetero Group of Companies, emphasised: “This partnership with Gilead Sciences strengthens our resolve to push the boundaries of HIV prevention and treatment. For over three decades, Hetero has been at the forefront of the global fight against HIV/AIDS, pioneering affordable, life-saving treatments where the need is greatest. With over 30 combinations addressing nearly 40 per cent of the global HIV/AIDS population, we take immense pride in the positive impact our efforts have made so far. We will further bring quick access to lenacapavir in Africa, India and other LMICs, where we’ve been a cornerstone of HIV/AIDS care.”

By leveraging our strong research focus, unparalleled manufacturing scale and distribution expertise, we are primed to rapidly expand access to lenacapavir in all 120 high-incidence, resource-limited countries. With our generic lenacapavir, we will reach communities beyond the usual access points, ensuring that even in the most underserved and remote areas, people receive the effective and affordable HIV prevention and treatment they deserve, he added.

Groundbreaking Clinical Results

Earlier this month, Gilead announced promising results from a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial. The interim analysis demonstrated that lenacapavir reduced HIV infections by 96 per cent compared to the background HIV incidence. This highlights the transformative potential of lenacapavir as a long-acting treatment and prevention option.

Lenacapavir is also being studied as a long-acting HIV prevention drug in ongoing clinical trials. This drug’s long-acting version can be administered every six months via a subcutaneous injection, following an initial oral loading dose. Lenacapavir was approved for use in HIV-positive adults with multi-drug resistance by the European Union in August 2022 and received US FDA approval in December 2022. The use of lenacapavir for the prevention of HIV is investigational and is not approved anywhere globally.