The Colombian government has taken a significant step toward issuing a compulsory license for a widely used HIV treatment, the latest instance in which cash-strapped governments battle with the pharmaceutical industry over the cost of medicines.
The government issued a notice last week inviting companies to indicate whether they would be willing to supply a generic version of dolutegravir, which is made by ViiV Healthcare, a company that specializes in HIV treatments and is largely controlled by GSK. The move comes after authorities last October decided they would pursue compulsory licensing in order to widen access to the medicine.
A compulsory license allows a country to grant a license to a public agency or a generic drugmaker to copy a patented medicine without the consent of the brand-name company that owns the patent. The right to take this step, which can be used to lower the cost of a prescription medicine, was memorialized in a World Trade Organization agreement. (Here is a primer.)