Viatris 2022 Sustainability Report: Advancing Progress for HIV Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment
As a leading global supplier of ARVs used to prevent and treat HIV, we have a strong legacy of supporting people living with HIV. In 2022, we provided access to high-quality and affordable ARVs to more than 100 countries. More than 30% of adults and more than 65% of children being treated for HIV in our Emerging Markets segment in 2022 used a Viatris product.1
It is estimated that more than 38 million people are living with HIV globally, and children are especially vulnerable. Two in five children living with HIV worldwide do not know they are infected, and just over half of children with HIV are receiving ARV treatment due to a lack of access to care in lower- and middle-income countries where the disease is most prevalent, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Global progress toward eradicating HIV/AIDS has been threatened in recent years due to the COVID pandemic and the ongoing economic crisis which have caused disruptions to care, fewer resources and an increase in virus transmission.2
Our goal is to provide ARV therapy equivalent to a total of 30 million patients, including more than 2 million children living with HIV/AIDS, between 2022 and the end of 2025. In 2022, we made progress toward our goal by providing treatments for approximately 8 million patients, including almost 600,000 children.
Our work includes helping to prevent HIV infections, increasing diagnosis and treatment and providing healthcare solutions. We also are working on local manufacturing initiatives with partners to transfer technology to expand access where it is most needed.
In 2022, we continued our partnership with ViiV Healthcare and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) to develop a dispersible tablet formulation of abacavir/lamivudine/ dolutegravir fixed-dose combination, which will reduce the pill burden in pediatric populations. We also advanced work on a dual oral pill for HIV and pregnancy prevention in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation.
While most people living with HIV reside in low- and middleincome countries, reliable access to affordable treatment for HIV is also a critical need in high-income countries. We are focused on meeting the needs of people living with HIV, wherever they are. In 2022, we applied in Italy for authorization and reimbursement for PrEP, a medicine taken by those at risk for HIV to prevent infection, making it available in the country for the first time. Additionally, we were awarded multi-year tenders in New Zealand for several HIV ARVs, including PrEP, which significantly increased Viatris’ contribution to expanding access to these treatments.
As part of our strategy to expand access to ARV treatments, we are working with international organizations for pooled procurement, engaging in licensing agreements with originator pharmaceutical companies and the Medicines Patent Pool and participating in government tenders. We have been able to supply treatments at more affordable prices, including gradually reducing the pricing of the fixed-dose combination medication tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, lamivudine and dolutegravir (TLD) with an average selling price approximately 17% lower in 2022, compared to the previous year. We provide a single price for all applicable countries supplied via leading global procurement mechanisms, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, and the U.S. PEPFAR Program.
Viatris has seven licensing agreements with the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) for HIV - including PrEP - hepatitis C and COVID-19. For ARV and infectious disease products, Viatris also has license agreements with Gilead, MSD, TB Alliance and Otsuka.
In 2022, in South Africa, the country home to the most people living with HIV, we launched multiple ARV products to continue expanding access to treatment designed to improve patient outcomes. These launches increase patient access to affordable, high-quality generics including Kavideza, which offers a simplified tablet regimen of abacavir, lamivudine, and dolutegravir to help reduce complexity of treatment for patients.
We have more than 700 registrations of infectious disease products, including ARVs, across low- and middle-income countries. We consistently file our ARV treatments with the U.S. FDA and the WHO Prequalification pathways to enable procurement by the PEPFAR, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, as well as other international agencies. Still many countries require local registration in addition to these global approvals. To meet this need, we have steadily been filing for local market authorizations of our ARV products based on country guidelines across all key high-burden HIV countries.
Responding to HIV Challenges Amplified by the COVID Pandemic
The COVID pandemic continues to affect HIV care. Because of COVID-related closures of health facilities, fewer new patients were being identified and put on treatment. Viatris makes available HIV Self Tests to increase access to testing and identify more patients who can be put on treatment. Redeployment of staff to provide COVID relief created restrictions in access to healthcare, so Viatris quickly worked to provide multi-month ARV packs so patients have ongoing access to treatment.
Sources
1Excludes the U.S., EU and other developed markets. Also excludes Russia, China and Mexico, where we do not commercialize ARVs.
2UNAIDS Fact Sheet
View the full 2022 Sustainability Report here.
