AbbVie Partnering with Global Authorities to Determine Efficacy of HIV Drug in Treating COVID-19

- Unconfirmed media reports from China claim Kaletra/Aluvia (lopinavir/ritonavir) is effective in COVID-19 treatment.

- AbbVie does not have access to Chinese clinical information and therefore cannot confirm its accuracy

- AbbVie donated Aluvia to the Chinese government for experimental use against COVID-19

- AbbVie is working with global health authorities to determine the efficacy and safety of lopinavir/ritonavir against COVID-19

- AbbVie does not anticipate disruption to the medicine supply for HIV patients as a result of the investigation of the effectiveness against COVID-19

News provided by

AbbVie

Mar 09, 2020, 08:45 ET

NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., March 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) today confirmed the company's activities in the fight to address the COVID-19 public health crisis, including supporting the experimental use of the HIV medicine, Kaletra/Aluvia (lopinavir/ritonavir) to determine its efficacy in the treatment of COVID-19.

The company is collaborating with select health authorities and institutions globally to determine antiviral activity as well as efficacy and safety of lopinavir/ritonavir against COVID-19. AbbVie is supporting clinical studies and basic research with lopinavir/ritonavir, working closely with European health authorities and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health and Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to coordinate on these efforts. Along with industry partners, the company has joined the Innovative Medicines Initiative to support research and discovery of targeted medicines against COVID-19.

"We are committed to helping in any way we can to address the COVID-19 public health crisis, which is why we responded quickly to the Chinese authorities' request for Aluvia in late January," said Richard A. Gonzalez, chairman and chief executive officer, AbbVie. "We are working with global health authorities to ensure we meet the need of COVID-19 patients, conduct the appropriate clinical trials to evaluate its efficacy and ensure uninterrupted supply of the drug Kaletra/Aluvia for HIV patients around the world."

No expected impact on drug supply
AbbVie has supplied Kaletra/Aluvia as an experimental option for the treatment of COVID-19 to multiple countries that have immediate patient needs due to the outbreak. The company plans to continue to respond to all appropriate requests for product while supporting all efforts to determine the safety and efficacy of this therapy in this patient population.

While helping respond to the COVID-19 crisis is a high priority, the company is committed to protecting the supply of Kaletra/Aluvia for HIV patients. AbbVie is actively assessing the increased demand for Kaletra/Aluvia and has taken steps to increase supply for COVID-19 patients without impacting treatment supply for HIV patients.

AbbVie continues to closely monitor manufacturing and supply chain resources around the world and does not anticipate any disruption to its medicine supply as a result of COVID-19.

About AbbVie
AbbVie is a global, research and development-based biopharmaceutical company committed to developing innovative advanced therapies for some of the world's most complex and critical conditions. The company's mission is to use its expertise, dedicated people and unique approach to innovation to markedly improve treatments across four primary therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, virology and neuroscience. In more than 75 countries, AbbVie employees are working every day to advance health solutions for people around the world. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram.

SOURCE AbbVie