Roche has developed a specific patent policy for its HIV antiretroviral medicines, which commits that:

• In addition to not filing or enforcing patents on any Roche medicines in the Least Developed Countries*, Roche will not file patents on new antiretrovirals (ARVs) in sub-Saharan Africa, the poorest and hardest hit region
• Roche will not take any action against generic manufacturers of its ARVs Invirase and Viracept in these countries

Roche provides letters granting immunity from suit, upon request, to generic manufacturers interested in producing generic versions of its antiretroviral medicines for Least
Developed Countries and sub-Saharan Africa. This policy enables local manufacturers to produce generic antiretroviral medicines for supply to sub-Saharan Africa and the Least Developed Countries without prior consent. To help strengthen the manufacturing capability and capacity within these countries, Roche also launched a new initiative in January 2006 – the AIDS Technology Transfer Initiative – to provide local manufacturers with the technical expertise to produce their own generic version of saquinavir.

Removing Barriers, Increasing Access PDF

Roche’s HIV/AIDS Patent Policy

Roche’s patent and no profit pricing policies apply to more than 24 million people and close
to two thirds of all people living with HIV/AIDS globally.¹

* United Nations (UN) list of Least Developed Countries can be found inside this leaflet

¹UNAIDS. 2006 Report on the global AIDS epidemic. May 2006