Our Commitment to Access
Treating Viral Hepatitis
More than 300 million people worldwide are living with chronic hepatitis B or C, which can lead to serious and life-threatening liver damage, including liver cirrhosis (scarring), liver cancer and the need for liver transplantation.
While viral hepatitis is one of the leading causes of preventable death globally, the vast majority of people with the disease haven't received high-quality medical treatment and many people with the disease haven't been diagnosed.
We've pioneered a cure for hepatitis C (HCV) and have helped transform hepatitis B (HBV) into a manageable condition as we work toward a cure. We’re collaborating with regional partners and generic licensees to introduce our HCV and HBV therapies in low- and middle-income countries, prioritizing communities with the greatest disease burden.
We’re also going beyond medicine to help address the disparities impacting people living with viral hepatitis. Through our corporate giving programs, we partner with community organizations working to ensure people around the world receive high-quality care and services.
Viral HepatitisAddressing the HIV Epidemic
We've long been a leader in HIV treatment and prevention, helping transform HIV from an inevitably fatal condition to a chronic one that can be well managed. We introduced the first once-daily oral medication for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to help prevent HIV transmission and continue to advance the next generation of therapeutic options.
In low- and middle-income countries, we’ve put innovative programs and partnerships in place to expand global access to our HIV medicines. Each year, millions of treatments for HIV, along with hepatitis B, are made available in low- and middle-income countries through our voluntary licensing programs.
But in order to end the HIV epidemic, our approach must evolve to ensure everyone who needs or wants our therapies can access them. We're developing access strategies for many of our next-generation HIV prevention therapies that account for the unique challenges of distributing and integrating them into care.
HIVResponding to COVID-19
Drawing on our long history in HIV and hepatitis, we knew that partnership would be an effective and resilient approach to drive access to treatment in places with fewer resources.
We established multiple voluntary licensing agreements for our COVID-19 treatment with generic manufacturers in low- and middle-income countries as early as May 2020, even before the U.S. FDA granted full regulatory approval for our treatment.
Our first-in-class antiviral was made available to more than 13 million adult and pediatric patients across the world – over 60% of whom were living in low- and middle-income countries. We also provided our licensing partners with technical assistance and manufacturing support to rapidly scale production.
As we continue to supply COVID-19 therapy to people in need, we’re looking ahead to prevent and treat viruses capable of causing future pandemics.
Eliminating Invasive Fungal Infections
We champion innovative solutions that improve patient outcomes and uplift communities worldwide. Our work to address invasive fungal infections began more than three decades ago when we launched a partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) to combat visceral leishmaniasis (VL), an invasive fungal infection, and provide our treatment at a no-profit price in low- and middle-income countries.
Invasive Fungal InfectionsAccess Partnerships
We work with a network of regional distributors to enable access to our portfolio of medicines in low- and middle-income countries. We also collaborate with voluntary licensees, the Medicines Patent Pool and other stakeholders to expand access to our medicines around the world. Together, we're relentlessly working to address critical health inequities worldwide.
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