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ARTICLE | Company News

Roche, Medicines Patent Pool infectious news

August 12, 2013 7:00 AM UTC

Roche and the Medicines Patent Pool signed a five-year supply deal under which the pharma will provide Valcyte valganciclovir to treat cytomegalovirus (CMV) in HIV-infected patients to the pool for a price that is up to 90% cheaper than the current market price in 138 developing and emerging countries. Roche declined to provide an average price for the countries. The partners will consider adding more countries to the deal and will explore licensing and technology transfer to help local production of Valcyte and increase access to the drug.

Roche also agreed to license HIV/AIDS drug Invirase saquinavir, an HIV protease inhibitor, to the pool "in case the need arises." Valcyte is an oral prodrug formulation of ganciclovir, a guanine derivative nucleoside analog. ...