The licensing agreement will allow UCL to manufacture and supply generic alimatravir in African countries and other markets covered by the agreement, subject to successful clinical development and regulatory approval.
Under the agreements, MSD will work with Aspen Pharmacare in South Africa, Quality Chemicals Industries Limited (QCIL) in Uganda and Universal Corporation Limited (UCL) in Kenya.
Through the HELM Cluster, the emirate has brought together research institutions, advanced healthcare infrastructure, genomics programs, manufacturing capabilities, and distribution networks within a single ecosystem.
In Japan alone, 21,000 new cases and 7,000 deaths were reported that year, with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounting for approximately 85% of all kidney cancers.
For MSD, this acquisition is part of a broader strategy to diversify its pipeline before its blockbuster immunotherapy Keytruda loses patent protection.