Life Sciences & Medicine Active Updated Jul 25, 2026
A monthly HIV prevention pill gets licensed before it's even approved
Merck's experimental once-monthly HIV prevention pill alimatravir is still in two late-stage clinical trials, but the company has already signed royalty-free voluntary licensing deals with seven generic manufacturers to supply 129 low- and middle-income countries the moment it wins approval. The arc will run as the trials conclude and as this early-licensing model is tested against the years-long delays that slowed past HIV drugs from reaching the countries carrying the heaviest burden.
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Jul 25, 2026 Latest
Merck signed voluntary, royalty-free licensing deals with seven generic manufacturers, three in Africa and four in India, to make and sell its experimental HIV prevention pill alimatravir across 129 low- and middle-income countries as soon as it clears its still-ongoing late-stage clinical trials.
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