A feud has erupted between ViiV Healthcare and Doctors Without Borders over a deal to allow the relief organization to purchase an injectable HIV prevention drug, the latest fracas involving the company and efforts to distribute its medication to mostly poor locations around the world.
The dispute hinges on a move by the ViiV, which is largely controlled by GSK, to add certain last-minute conditions to a procurement agreement, according to Doctors Without Borders. The relief organization noted it has been negotiating for the drug since January 2022, but called the additional terms “unacceptable” that will only harm people who would benefit from the medicine.
The conditions include a confidentiality clause about pricing and supply, and ViiV is also seeking the right to terminate the contract or refuse a transaction “without just reasons,” according to Doctors Without Borders. The move “undermines transparency and accountability, could hamper the ability of governments and other treatment providers to access the medicine,” the organization argued in a statement.