HIV vaccine to be sold for 1 million VND/year

The injectable drug lenacapavir - which can reduce the risk of HIV transmission by 99.9% - will be available for about VND1 million a year instead of VND700 million as it currently costs in the US.

According to an announcement on September 24 by Unitaid and the Gates Foundation, generic versions of lenacapavir - a six-month injection that has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection by more than 99.9% - are expected to be available for $40 a year in more than 100 countries from 2027.

Generic drugs are drugs produced after the patent expires, have the same active ingredients and effectiveness as the original brand-name drug but are cheaper.

Lenacapavir was invented by the American pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences and commercialized under the name Yeztugo, currently priced at about 28,000 USD/year (more than 700 million VND) in the US.

In October 2024, Gilead announced that it had signed licensing agreements with six pharmaceutical companies to manufacture and distribute the world's first long-acting HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) drug in low- and middle-income countries.

On that basis, the international health organization Unitaid announced that it has established a partnership with Dr. Reddy's Laboratories (India), the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHA) and Wits RHI, to deploy the drug at an annual price of 40 USD/person in 120 countries from 2027. Similarly, the Gates Foundation also announced a cooperation agreement with Indian pharmaceutical company Hetero to expand production.

Carmen Perez Casas, Unitaid's head of HIV strategy, stressed that cheap generic versions were key to expanding access, and said the injectable could help end the spread of HIV. Trevor Mundel, head of global health at the Gates Foundation, also said scientific advances like lenacapavir only matter if they reach the people who need them most.

While waiting for generic versions to become available, Gilead and the Global Fund have signed a deal to help make the drug more affordable for low-income countries. Washington confirmed earlier this month that it remains committed to the project under the 2024 deal, despite cuts in funding by President Donald Trump.

The initiative, launched after the US approved Yeztugo in June 2025, aims to deliver the first batches to at least one African country by the end of this year.

VNA

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thuoc-tiem-ngua-hiv-sap-duoc-ban-voi-gia-1-trieu-dong-nam-20250925093343745.htm