Amid a push to widen access to medicines to poor countries, Novartis has reached an agreement to license one of its best-selling cancer treatments so that generic manufacturers can produce copies for distribution to 44 low- and middle-income nations.
The deal with the Medicines Patent Pool, a public health organization backed by the United Nations, marks the first time that a voluntary licensing deal has been arranged for a cancer medication. Until now, such agreements have involved treatments for infectious diseases — notably, HIV and hepatitis C, as well as a pair of antiviral pills used to combat Covid-19.
The licensing agreement will allow generic companies to produce versions of Tasigna, an oral medication that is used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia and is on the list of essential medicines maintained by the World Health Organization. Last year, Tasigna generated more than $2 billion in sales, making it one of Novartis’s best-selling drugs.
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