Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Ltd. secured the rights to develop, manufacture and sell potentially the world's first monthly oral pill to prevent HIV, positioning South Africa at the forefront of efforts to combat the virus.
Under a voluntary licensing agreement with Merck & Co.'s MSD unit, Aspen is one of seven manufacturers that will make alimatravir for 129 countries, including every African nation, if ongoing final pre-approval trials prove successful.
The deal would make South Africa a key manufacturing base for one of the most promising new HIV-prevention technologies, shifting more pharmaceutical production and know-how onto the continent.
Alimatravir is being developed as a monthly oral pre-exposure prophylaxis, potentially replacing daily medication. The simpler regimen may improve uptake and adherence, especially among young women and other people at high risk of infection.
The announcement comes as South Africa expands its HIV-prevention arsenal, after the introduction of the twice-yearly injectable lenacapavir. Together the products represent a broader shift toward long-acting prevention options designed to make staying HIV-free easier.
The country remains at the epicenter of the global HIV epidemic, recording one of the world's largest numbers of new infections annually despite decades of progress in treatment. Expanding prevention options is seen as critical to reducing transmission.
Aspen said local production would strengthen healthcare security across the continent.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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