GENEVA, SWITZERLAND: The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) today announces the launch of a new collaboration with ViiV Healthcare – a joint venture of GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, and Shionogi – to facilitate greater availability of critically needed medicines for children living with HIV.
There are 3.4 million children living with HIV worldwide.

Over 8 million people in developing countries had access to antiretroviral therapy in 2012. But nearly 7 million more are still in urgent need of treatment. Paediatric HIV is becoming a neglected disease, and many children lack the adapted medicines they need to survive. The Pool was created to help address these unmet HIV/AIDS needs.

The Medicines Patent Pool seeks to ensure that quality medicines adapted to the needs of people living with HIV in developing countries are available at prices they can afford. It does this through voluntary licensing of key HIV medicines patents, facilitating the generic competition that has reduced HIV medicines prices 99 percent over the past…