Prime Highlights
- Roche and Medicines Patent Pool signed a licensing agreement to expand access to Xofluza in 129 low- and middle-income countries.
- The deal aims to strengthen flu treatment availability and improve preparedness for future outbreaks and pandemics.
Key Facts
- Roche is a global healthcare and pharmaceutical company headquartered in Switzerland.
- Xofluza is an antiviral treatment used for flu patients who have had symptoms for no more than two days.
Background
Roche and Medicines Patent Pool have entered into a licensing agreement to enhance the accessibility of the influenza drug called Xofluza in low-and middle-income countries. This strategy seeks to bolster access to medicines in the face of seasonal influenza outbreaks as well as other potential health emergencies.
The agreement will allow generic drug manufacturers to develop, produce and distribute the antiviral treatment in 129 countries. The partnership seeks to create additional supply channels in regions where access to flu medicines remains limited.
The Medicines Patent Pool said it will invite manufacturers to express interest in producing the medicine under the licensing framework. The agreement also aims to build manufacturing capacity and improve readiness before future public health crises emerge.
Xofluza is used for patients who have experienced flu symptoms for up to two days. The treatment has received recommendations from the World Health Organization and approvals from regulators in the United States and Europe. Reports linked to the agreement stated that the medicine has shown effectiveness against some flu strains that resist older antiviral treatments.
Under the partnership, Roche will provide supporting resources, including data packages, reference products for bioequivalence studies and selected regulatory assistance. Drug manufacturers will independently manage their own approval procedures for generic versions.
In October, Roche also expanded direct-to-consumer access for Xofluza in the United States by introducing discounted sales, as pharmaceutical companies faced increasing pressure to lower prescription medicine costs.
