About us

Media Room

Resources

Company: GlaxoSmithKline
Headquarters: London, United Kingdom

These are the drug patents we want GSK to put in the patent pool and why patients need them:

Lamivudine (3TC)
Brand name: Epivir
Patients on HIV treatment must take a combination of drugs to fight the HIV virus and stay healthy. Lamivudine is one of a class of drugs called ‘nukes’ that have traditionally formed the core of HIV combination treatment in developing countries. But we simply don’t have enough combination treatments including this drug at present.  Plus, for children, GSK only produces a syrup form of this drug - syrups make getting the dosages right tricky, especially when several other syrups may have to be taken at one time.

Abacavir (ABC)
Brand name: Ziagen
Abacavir also belongs to this important class of drugs that form the so-called ‘backbone’ of combination therapy in developing countries; but there are so many more combinations that include this drug which could be produced if the patents went in the pool. It’s also really important to get better access to this drug for treating children who are infected with both HIV and tuberculosis because many other antiretrovirals interact with the anti-tuberculosis drugs and reduce the effectiveness of the HIV drugs.

Fosamprenavir (FPV)
Brand name: Lexiva
Fosamprenavir is one of a group of drugs that patients need to switch to once earlier treatment stops working effectively against the HIV virus. There are very few of these drugs around for patients in developing countries and most have to be used alongside a very expensive ‘booster’ drug. GSK’s paediatric version of this drug is really expensive so very few children have access to it. Putting this drug in the pool will give more patients – adults and children - more options for staying healthy for longer.

S/GSK 1349572
Currently in clinical trials
This is a drug that is so new it is still undergoing clinical trials. It works in a totally new way to many of the older HIV drugs and people are very excited about how it could help those patients in developing countries who have just run out of treatment options altogether and face going back on to AIDS death row.