In a preemptive move, more than 170 patient advocacy groups from 30 countries are urging Merck to create a global access strategy for an HIV prevention pill, which is still being studied in clinical trials.
A key, late-stage study is not expected to be completed until July 2027, but already the pill — dubbed MK-8527 by the company — is viewed as potentially important for combating the infectious disease because it is being tested for monthly administration, which would be much more convenient than the daily pills that are currently available for HIV prevention, otherwise known as PrEP.
The pill “represents a potentially transformative addition to the HIV prevention toolkit — a convenient monthly oral option that could address the adherence challenges that have limited the impact of daily oral [prevention pills], particularly in low-income and middle-income countries where the vast majority of the 1.3 million people who acquire HIV each year reside,” the groups wrote to Merck CEO Robert Davis.Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…