29 September 2023 | Statements

Johnson & Johnson pricing agreement for critical TB drug still unfairly restricts access in countries where the need is greatest

Geneva – In an open letter to the Chief Executive Officer of Johnson & Johnson (J&J), Unitaid, while acknowledging the investments J&J has made to develop and market innovative medicines to treat tuberculosis (TB), expressed its concern that the recent agreement between J&J and the Global Drug Facility (GDF) to lower the price of bedaquiline is an incomplete solution that will hinder access long-term.

Drug-resistant TB (DR-TB), the most dangerous and deadly form of TB, affects nearly half a million people every year. Because so few currently access appropriate treatment, millions of people worldwide are in critical need of bedaquiline.

The J&J/GDF agreement saw a historic 55% price reduction of the drug, which is a welcome step in increasing access to this critical medicine that underpins all shorter regimens for treating DR-TB. However, the agreed price of US$130 for a six-month supply of J&J’s SIRTURO® (bedaquiline) is only available to countries when purchasing through GDF, which effectively excludes several countries where the rates of MDR-TB are highest.

Additionally, following the Indian Patent Office’s rejection of J&J’s secondary patent application for bedaquiline in the country in April, several generic manufacturers are expected to enter the Indian market, home to the highest number of people with MDR-TB in the world. This is likely to further reduce the cost of generic bedaquiline but secondary patents in place in low- and middle-income countries will restrict availability to these vital medicines in a subset of countries with the highest burden of disease.

Unitaid is calling on J&J to remove secondary patents or provide a comprehensive license to generics and allow all countries to purchase bedaquiline at the negotiated rates, including those excluded from the agreement or not procuring through GDF.

This follows numerous advocates’ unanswered calls for equitable access to bedaquiline in recent months, including action from nations not able to benefit from access prices such as South Africa, Belarus, and Ukraine, among others.

Meeting these demands is essential to fulfilling the commitment made by heads of state at the United Nations High-Level Meeting on TB on 22 September to reach 1.5 million people with DR-TB treatment by 2027.

Unitaid’s open letter to J&J is reproduced in full here.


Media contact:

For more information and media requests:

Hervé Verhoosel

Head of Communications and Spokesperson

M: +33 6 22 59 73 54

verhooselh@unitaid.who.int

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