2023-07-18 15:31:53
Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson has struck a deal to allow the supply of generic versions of its tuberculosis drug to low-income countries, but the deal has been criticized for not going far enough to end a monopoly on the company in the world supply of bedaquiline.
The drug’s global patent expires on Tuesday, July 18, but in several countries Johnson & Johnson continues to control the market with secondary patentsfor which small modifications are made to a product to extend a patent, The Guardian reports.
The J&J decision will allow the Stop TB Partnership coalition to purchase and supply generic bedaquiline to 44 low- and middle-income countries through its Global Drug Facility (GDF).
MSF’s Access Campaign, which advocates for affordable and available medical treatmentsHe noted that while he welcomed the move, it was only a “temporary” solution and that the full terms of the deal needed to be made public. “We remain concerned that J&J retains the global authority to determine access to life-saving generic versions of bedaquiline in countries with a high TB burden, even after the parent patent expires,” said Christophe Perrin, pharmacist advocate for MSF’s campaign for access to tuberculosis drugs.
According to MSF, J&J’s bedaquiline is the most expensive component of the multi-drug regimen for people with drug-resistant tuberculosis, but it could be reduced from $1.50 per day to $0.50.
Perrin claims the company should not enforce its existing secondary patents and withdraw any pending applications for more. If not, governments should void patents and try to buy the drug from generic manufacturers: “Only by taking these steps will J&J truly demonstrate a commitment to improving global access to bedaquiline and prioritizing the health needs of those most affected by this deadly disease over profit.” accumulated through secondary patents”.
The Treatment Action Group (TAG) ensures that the agreement “does not meet” the demands of tuberculosis patients and that it was using “patent perenniality to extend monopoly rights over publicly funded innovations.”
For her part, the head of the Global Drug Facility (GDF), Brenda Waning, points out that the agreement will allow them to supply generic bedaquiline to low- and middle-income countries, even where there are secondary patents, active until 2027. “From our perspective, the endpoint is the same. We can supply to all countries [bajo el acuerdo] regardless of patents,” he says.
From J&J they assure, informs The Guardian, that they use the money obtained through patents to pay the development of other drugs, which generic manufacturers do not usually do. “More and faster innovation is needed, and intellectual property protections make it possible for companies to make sustained financial commitments to discover and develop new and improved medicines needed to end diseases like tuberculosis, which primarily affects low-income people. . – and middle-income countries and protect the effectiveness of existing ones”, concludes the company spokesman.
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