Matrix Laboratories Limited, India-based subsidiary of Mylan Inc that holds a 71.2 per cent controlled interest, announced that it has been selected by the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative (CHAI) under its UNITAID-funded projects as the primary supplier of five types of anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs, used in the treatment of people infected with HIV.
Mylan vice chairman and CEO Robert J Coury said, "I would like to congratulate UNITAID and CHAI on the tremendous impact they have made in fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which continues to present significant challenges on a global scale. Facilitating patient access to affordable, quality treatments has helped transform AIDS from a fatal illness into a manageable chronic condition. Ensuring that access to these treatments continues to expand is a critical piece of solving this crisis. Mylan and Matrix are proud to play an important role in these efforts by supplying a broad portfolio of low cost, high quality products, and we remain committed to further increasing access for patients in developing countries through our innovative science and expertise."
According to the Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS), an estimated 33 million people in the world are infected with HIV, and more than 90 per cent of those patients live in the developing world. Less than 4 million patients globally are receiving treatment; however, approximately 30 per cent of patients in developing countries depend on Matrix ARV products.
Mylan's chief operating officer Heather Bresch added, "Matrix has done a remarkable job developing a world-class ARV business in just a few years. Their emphasis on producing affordable products has significantly reduced the average annual cost per patient of AIDS treatment. I also would like to recognize the efforts of UNITAID and CHAI, which have both worked diligently to increase the supply of effective medicines. Significant progress has been made in dramatically reducing the costs of second-line treatments, and our partnerships with CHAI and other donor organizations will allow us to further reduce the costs of treatments for children. However, there still is much more work to be done. Mylan and Matrix intend to advance our leadership role and partnerships by continuing to produce affordable, high quality ARV products and getting them to those in need."
Matrix's second-line products selected for the 2009 UNITAID-CHAI projects include heat-stable Lopinavir/Ritonavir, Tenofovir and two fixed-dose combinations that use Tenofovir. The seven ARVs for which Matrix was selected under the UNITAID Paediatric Project include several first-line fixed-dose combinations. Patients often use second-line therapies if and when they develop resistance to initially prescribed treatments or experience clinical failures. Fixed-dose combinations are multiple ARV drugs combined into a single pill.
UNITAID is an international drug purchase facility, established to provide long-term, sustainable and predictable funding to increase access and reduce prices of quality drugs and diagnostics for the treatment of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in developing countries.