Africa to Play Key Role in Mass Production of New HIV Prevention Pill

At the recent #Aids2026 conference in Rio de Janeiro, pharmaceutical company Merck announced a groundbreaking licensing deal that could bring a new HIV prevention pill to people much faster than previous drugs. The once-a-month pill, known as alimatravir or MK-8527, is being produced by seven generic manufacturers, with three of them based in Africa.

The licenses allow these companies to prepare their factories and production processes while the final studies are underway, so they can begin making the pill as soon as regulators approve it. This could bring the medicine to people much faster than previous drugs, which typically took years to become available after approval.

South Africa's largest drug maker, Aspen Pharmacare, received one of the licenses and will import the key ingredient before putting the medicine together in South Africa. If studies show alimatravir works and regulators approve it, Aspen would be able to sell and export the pill to 129 low- and middle-income countries, including all 54 African countries.

The licensing deal could also help make the medicine more widely available once approved and lower South Africa's roughly 140,000 new HIV infections a year. One recent study estimates that generic alimatravir could be made for as little as $4.50 per person per year, which is about one-fifth of what researchers estimate it could cost to produce a generic version of the six-monthly HIV prevention injection.