Bangalore, India-based pharma Strides Arcolab has bagged non-exclusive rights to manufacture and distribute Gilead’s HIV therapy Tenofovir Alafenamide (TAF), both as a single agent product and in combination with other drugs.
Financial terms of the deal were not announced, but it was relived that the license granted to Strides is valid for 112 countries, which together account for more than 30 million people living with HIV.
And, as part of the deal, on US Food and Drug Administration approval of TAF Strides will receive a technology transfer from Gilead, enabling it to manufacture low-cost versions of the drug for developing countries.
TAF is a novel nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor that has demonstrated high antiviral efficacy at a dose 10 times lower than Gilead’s Viread (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate), as well as an improved renal and bone safety profile, Strides said.
