The World Health Organization considers dolutegravir a preferred first-line treatment for HIV, given its limited side effects and rapid efficacy. Patients reach a low enough level of virus in their system that they won’t transmit HIV during sex.
But there’s a problem: The active ingredient in the medication is currently under patent.
In April, however, the Colombian government took a historic step. It issued its first-ever compulsory licence, a legal mechanism that allows it to co-opt the drugmaker’s patent in the name of public interest.
That decision is expected to clear the way for Colombia’s health programmes to buy generic doses of the drug at a much lower cost.
But bypassing the patent has enmeshed Colombia in an ongoing lawsuit with the pharmaceutical company ViiV Healthcare, which has openly protested the compulsory licence.
Read the full story at Al Jazeera.
Source : Al Jazeera
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