Earlier this year, Gilead Sciences became the first manufacturer of HIV meds to join the Medicines Patent Pool Foundation, a group that aims to improve access to affordable HIV medicines in developing countries through voluntary licensing of proprietary information (working with pharmaceutical companies to get generic options on the market). Since then, the pool has started negotiations with two other companies, Boehringer Ingelheim and Bristol-Myers Squibb, and has started conversations with five other patent holders. It’s great to see these companies consider pricing their products so that people in developing countries can access meds that are available to people in the developed world. However, given the fact meds need to be taken in combination, for the pool to reach its full potential, everyone has to jump in. Are they waiting for an embossed invitation from the 27.3 million HIV-positive people who would benefit immensely? Consider this it.
