At its facilities in Benoni or Durban, Indian Cipla Limited will manufacture a more cheaper version of the product.
The revolutionary HIV-prevention medicine CAP-LA will soon be produced in large quantities in South Africa. In a region where nearly two-thirds of new HIV infections worldwide occur, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the move will give millions of people access to the medication.
According to The Guardian, Cipla Limited, an Indian multinational pharmaceutical corporation, would manufacture cabotegravir long-acting (LA) at one of its sites in Benoni or Durban.
In the previous year, the WHO referred to CAB-LA as a “safe and highly effective prevention option for people at substantial risk of HIV infection.” Research has demonstrated that the medication lowers the likelihood of catching the virus through intercourse and is supposed to block HIV from entering cells, significantly reducing the risk of infection.
Aurobindo, Cipla, and Viatris inked sublicense agreements in March, according to the drug’s creators, Viiv Healthcare and the United Nations-backed public health nonprofit Medicines Patent Pool, to make the generic version.
The MPP noted in a statement on its website at the time that the chosen manufacturers will be able to create and provide generic versions in 90 countries “subject to required regulatory approvals being obtained.”
According to the MPP, the medication is given as an injection six times a year and is started with a single 600mg (3ml) shot given two months in a row apart. However, in order to receive it, a person must first have a negative HIV-1 test.
ViiV Healthcare has the patent on CAB-LA in South Africa till 2031, which restricts competition. Additionally, Viiv reported that the medicine has acquired regulatory permission for use in at-risk adults and adolescents in the US, Australia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Malawi.
