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Roche
offers help to local manufacturers to produce HIV medicine for sub-Saharan
Africa and Least Developed Countries |
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Basel,
12 January 2006
New Technology Transfer Initiative announced
Today Roche pledged further help to tackle HIV/AIDS
in the world’s poorest and hardest hit countries.
As part of its new Technology Transfer Initiative,
Roche announced that it will expand its current
activities within sub-Saharan Africa and the world’s
Least Developed Countries by providing local manufacturers
with the technical expertise required to produce
generic HIV medicines. These countries cover 69%
of all people living with HIV/AIDS in the world.
The model for the transfer of expertise will be
based upon the processes to manufacture the HIV
protease inhibitor medicine, saquinavir, recommended
by the World Health Organization as a second line
treatment in resource limited settings.
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AIDS
orphans in Malawi
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William M. Burns, CEO Division Roche Pharmaceuticals, stated,
“With international funding now available, Africa will be the
world’s biggest user of HIV medicine. We have taken this unique
step, which is unlike any initiative undertaken by Roche, to help
ensure that the right medicines in the right formulation are available
locally. We want to use the knowledge we have developed to help
strengthen local manufacturing capability and hope to help as
many manufacturers as possible in these hardest hit countries
by sharing our knowledge, so that they can learn and benefit from
our technology.”
A new Roche team is being established and the full team will be
fully operational from the second quarter of 2006. The team will
be based in part on the ground in Africa, as much of the knowledge
and skill sharing will be undertaken onsite, at the local manufacturer’s
production facilities, and in part at the global headquarters
in Basel, Switzerland.
With the growing scale up effort resulting in increased access
to first line treatment in resource limited settings, such as
sub-Saharan Africa, the need and subsequently the demand for second
line treatments will continue to grow. As a result, increasing
manufacturing knowledge and capacity within these regions could
play a vital role in treatment delivery.
About Roche’s Technology Transfer Initiative
Manufacturers in sub-Saharan Africa and the Least Developed Countries
wishing to produce generic saquinavir for use in these countries
will not be required to apply for a voluntary licence, as Roche
has committed as part of its global policy not to enforce the
patents it holds on HIV medicines within these regions. Interested
manufacturers should contact the Project Manager, Technology Transfer
Initiative at the Roche Kenya office: info.aidstechtransfer@roche.com.
About the countries invited
Interested manufacturers in the following countries are invited
to contact Roche to discuss the Technology Transfer Initiative:
Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso,
Botswana, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Cape
Verde, Central African Republic, Chad Comoros, Democratic Republic
of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon,
Ghana Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti Kenya, Kiribati, Lao
People’s Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi,
Maldives, Mali, Mauritius Mauritania, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia,
Nigeria Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles
Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa,
Swaziland Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo,
Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Yemen, Zambia Zimbabwe.
About Roche’s patent and pricing policy
In addition to its Technology Transfer Initiative, Roche will
maintain its current pricing and patent policy for the developing
world. No patents for any of Roche medicines – across all disease
areas – will be filed in the world’s Least Developed Countries
(LDCs), as defined by the UN. Roche will not file patents on new
HIV/AIDS medicines in Least Developed Countries or sub-Saharan
Africa. Roche will not take action in these countries against
the sale or manufacture of generic versions of HIV medicines for
which Roche still holds patents. Generic versions of such HIV
medicines can therefore be produced in LDCs and sub-Saharan Africa
without the need for a voluntary or compulsory licence. Roche
makes its HIV protease inhibitors Invirase and Viracept available
at no profit prices for direct supplies from Roche Basel to LDCs
and sub-Saharan Africa.
About Roche
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world’s
leading research-focused healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals
and diagnostics. As a supplier of innovative products and services
for the early detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of
diseases, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts to
improving people’s health and quality of life. Roche is a world
leader in diagnostics, the leading supplier of drugs for cancer
and transplantation and a market leader in virology. Roche employs
roughly 65,000 people in 150 countries and has R&D agreements
and strategic alliances with numerous partners, including majority
ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai. Additional information
about the Roche Group is available on the Internet at http://www.roche.com/.
All trademarks used or mentioned
in this release are protected by law.
Further information
- Roche & HIV/AIDS
- Access to Roche’s
medicines
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