NAMIBIAN first lady Sustjie Mbumba and former first lady Monica Geingos are among 300 world leaders, celebrities, scientists and activists who are calling for pharmaceutical giants, Gilead to share new HIV medicine with low-and middle-income countries.
A statement by
In their letter to Gilead CEO
They urge O'Day to "shape history" by licensing generics, and helping to bring the AIDS pandemic to an end.
Alongside the GileadForGood hashtag, Geingos posted on her social media pages on
The Namibian first ladies are joined by world leaders, including Dr
Lenacapavir is an injectable HIV medicine that only needs to be taken twice a year.
It is, therefore, suitable for the hardest-to-reach communities.
It could be lifesaving for people living with HIV, who face the greatest stigma, particularly LGBTQ+ people and women and girls.
It could give them the safety and autonomy needed to live their lives free from violence and harassment.
But, as things stand, people in low and middle-income countries will not be able to access the medicine.
If and when Lenacapavir becomes available to prevent HIV, it could also be lifesaving for young women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa, who are most affected by HIV, with 3 100 young women and girls becoming infected with HIV every week in 2022.
However, Gilead has not put in place any of the elements to ensure marginalised communities or young women and girls in low and middle-income countries can access the new medicine, the public figures warn.
Campaigners are calling on Gilead to license generic versions of the medicine through the
"You can shape history," they say, as "by sharing the technology with the whole of the Global South, you will help save lives, prevent HIV infections, and advance the end of the world's deadliest pandemic."
Gilead has previously licensed generics for other HIV medicines in some low-income countries, but leaders and experts want Gilead to go further with Lenacapavir by working with the
Other campaigners include high-profile artists and activists, European former heads of state and government as well as some of the most respected figures in the global response to HIV.
Barré-Sinoussi was awarded a
They stand alongside leaders of organisations such as the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/ AIDS,
Among other statements delivered, Mogae said: "When I came to office, it would have been unthinkable to say that we could end the AIDS pandemic in our lifetimes. That goal is now within reach, but it will take courageous leadership from companies like Gilead. They have a chance to turn a page on the pharmaceutical industry's deadly neglect of Africans living with HIV.
"At this historic moment, I ask that Gilead act in the spirit of solidarity and human cooperation, and do what is necessary to help bring this awful pandemic to an end."
Monica Chakwera, the first lady of
As Gilead executives consider our request, they should know that the lives of many of these people hang in the balance."
The letter was organised by the
The alliance, formed during the Covid-19 pandemic, has changed its name to reflect its broader role in fighting for access to medicines across diseases.
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