Asia IP

An India pharmaceutical company plans to put a new HIV therapy in a free access patent pool, according to Livemint.com’s report citing company executives.

The first-line antiretroviral (ARV) combination therapy will not only make the drugs free, but also help other companies to access the technology and enter the market, said one of the company’s executives.

The company announced its collaboration with Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, a R&D organization, to develop and produce first-line ARV combination therapy specifically for infants and children with HIV/AIDS, said in the report.

“This is going to be something very novel in the world and the major research project in this direction at present globally, as the delivery method, taste and easy-to-use elements are very critical in case of children’s therapy,” Cipla’s chief medical officer Jaideep A. Gogtay said.

Gogtay said the product was still under development and progressing, and the company did not have a time frame for the completion as yet.