ASPEN PHARMACARE - PRESS RELEASE
Boehringer Ingelheim grants a voluntary license for nevirapine to South African
company Aspen Pharmacare
South Africa - Boehringer Ingelheim South Africa announced today that it has
granted a voluntary license to the South African pharmaceutical manufacturer
Aspen Pharmacare for the production, distribution and sale of the antiretroviral
nevirapine (marketed world wide by Boehringer Ingelheim as VIRAMUNE).
It is the first time that Boehringer Ingelheim has granted a non-exclusive
voluntary license to a third party. As Paul Stewart, CEO of Boehringer
Ingelheim South Africa put it "In view of the devastating effect of the AIDS
pandemic on our country, we have already reduced prices for VIRAMUNE to around
15% of the prices in the US. We also offer the same product free of charge to
prevent mother-to-child transmission to developing countries. We now grant this
license to Aspen as a further gesture of our commitment to combat HIV. Aspen
will manufacture locally, a key aspect of the agreement, and the product will be
distributed through State institutions to needy patients"
Stephen Saad, Group CEO of Aspen expressed his satisfaction at the constructive
discussions with Boehringer Ingelheim that had led to the conclusion of a
voluntary license agreement. He noted that "The nevirapine voluntary license is
an important agreement for Aspen and South African healthcare.
Aspen has licenses to the generics of the GSK products combivir, AZT and 3TC and
access to the generics for the BMS patents over Zerit and Videx. In order to be
in a position to provide cocktail therapy for HIV/AIDS Aspen needed nevirapine.
With nevirapine Aspen is now in a position to provide an affordable and locally
manufactured ARV cocktail therapy for South Africa."
Aspen will also be entitled to export nevirapine to 13 other countries of the
SADC region (Angola, Botswana, D.R.C., Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique,
Namibia, Seychelles, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe).
The license negotiated between Boehringer Ingelheim and Aspen Pharmacare is
royalty-free.
Ends
Contact John Heath or Kevin McKenna, Boehringer Ingelheim, South Africa
Tel: 011 3482438
Stephen Saad or Gus Attridge, Aspen Pharmacare
Tel: 031 2689506
Tuesday, 15 October, 2002 boehringer/aspen
Date: 15/10/2002 09:00:00 AM Produced by the JSE SENS Department
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