WHO Prequalifies First Generic Hepatitis C Medicine and First HIV Self-Test

The World Health Organization (WHO) announces that it has prequalified the first generic version of sofosbuvir, a critical medicine for the treatment of hepatitis C. The development could expand access to treatment by increasing the number of quality-assured generic medicines on the market. Sofosbuvir, 400 mg tablet, is manufactured by Mylan Laboratories Ltd., India.

“This is a break-through medicine with a 95 percent cure,” said Dr Suzanne Hill, director of essential medicines and health products at WHO. “The first WHO-prequalified generic of this product will give large procurers and countries the assurance of quality for an affordable product.”

WHO prequalification means the product can now be procured by the United Nations and financing agencies such as UNITAID, which now includes co-infection with HIV and hepatitis C in the portfolio of diseases it covers. Countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Mongolia, Nepal, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, Ethiopia, Pakistan and Egypt are already procuring generic versions of sofosbuvir. The fact that WHO has prequalified one of those generics will give them extra guarantee of the product’s quality, safety and efficacy.

“Direct acting antiviral medicines such as sofosbuvir are highly effective for treating and curing chronic hepatitis C infection. But, at best, 1 out of 10 people in need had access to these medicines in 2015,” said Dr. Gottfried Hirnschall, WHO’s director of the HIV Department. “Prequalification of the hepatitis C medicine for the first-time is therefore exciting news, ahead of World Hepatitis Day next week.”

The average price of the required three-month treatment course of Mylan’s sofosbuvir is around $260, a small fraction of the medicine’s market entry price in late 2013, and of the price set in the majority of high-income countries. The medicine remains highly expensive in many countries, but licensing agreements between Gilead Sciences, who developed sofosbuvir, and a number of generic manufacturers have made it possible for low-income and some middle-income countries to provide the medicine at more affordable prices.

WHO also prequalified the first HIV self-test in a move to increase HIV diagnosis and treatment. The product, OraQuick ® HIV Self-Test (manufactured by OraSure Technologies Inc.) uses oral fluid as a specimen and provides results in as little as 20 minutes.

“The prequalification of this product means that countries with poor laboratory infrastructure will be able to safely increase testing capacity, thereby facilitating treatment of people living with HIV,” said Hill.

The move also marks a significant step in allowing countries to implement WHO guidelines, released in 2016, recommending HIV self-testing as a complementary approach to reach those who remain undiagnosed due to fear of stigma and discrimination.

“Over the past year, the number of countries incorporating HIV self-testing into their policies has increased from 16 to 40. This is impressive progress,” said Hirnschall. “Having quality-assured self-tests is essential to enable countries to implement more rapidly. It is a positive step towards making innovative HIV self-testing accessible to all those who would benefit from it.”

In 2016, an estimated 30 percent of all people living with HIV remained unaware of their HIV status, many from higher risk populations who are either less likely to approach a health facility or are unable to do so.

“As the first HIV self-testing product to obtain WHO prequalification, this is a major step that will help give governments the confidence they need to adopt and scale up use of self-testing,” said Philippe Duneton, deputy executive director of Unitaid.

There is currently great interest from the international community in deploying tests intended for HIV self-testing, with numerous countries having developed national guidelines and plans for implementation. Support for procurement and deployment of these tests has been pledged by most major international financing and procurement agencies, including a specific agreement on affordable pricing for 50 lower-middle income countries in Africa and Asia between the manufacturer and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a funder of WHO Prequalification.

WHO Prequalification assures the quality, safety and efficacy of priority medicines, vaccines and in vitro diagnostics bought by international procurers for low-income countries. This is achieved through rigorous assessment of products and inspection activities, building national capacity for manufacture and working with regulators to register those products quickly. Prequalification is now increasingly used by countries.

Source: WHO