GUARANTEE PORTFOLIO

Hologic’s Panther platform for viral load testing

In July 2018, we launched a volume guarantee with Hologic to increase access to high-quality viral load testing for HIV and hepatitis and diagnostic testing for HPV on its Panther platform.

The partnership

The partnership is part of Hologic’s Global Access Initiative. Under the Initiative, we are working with Hologic and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) to increase access to viral load testing in 14 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

  • MedAccess has provided a volume guarantee to Hologic, meaning we will make up any shortfall in sales.
  • Hologic is the manufacturer of the Panther platform. Under the partnership, Hologic agreed to reduce prices and accelerate supplies to low- and middle-income countries.
  • CHAI supported the formation of the partnership and is responsible for monitoring the implementation of the agreement.

Through the partnership, Hologic agreed to a pricing structure that allows eligible countries to procure tests for a ceiling price of $12 per patient test.

Two people looking at a Panther machine

Development impact

We project that:

  • Clinical outcomes will be improved for at least 500,000 people.
  • The all-inclusive pricing model will save procurers at least $14 million compared to what would otherwise have been spent on tests.

In 2019, our partnership with Hologic and CHAI led to:

  • Improved clinical outcomes for an estimated 182,000 patients.
  • $7 million cost savings for procurers.

See our development impact page and latest Annual Report for more information.

Scientists looking at the Hologic Panther machine

The product

Hologic’s Panther platform provides fully automated molecular testing. Its sample-to-result automation can run 320 tests in 8 hours, providing health care professionals and patients with faster access to accurate viral load results that can inform treatment decisions.

The Panther platform has the capability to test simultaneously for a range of illnesses. In countries with high rates of coinfection alongside HIV, it can reduce the time patients wait for test results and lead to improved care.

Why we acted

HIV

In 2018, there were 1.7 million new HIV cases worldwide and 770,000 people lost their lives to AIDS-related illnesses, making it one of the leading causes of death. HIV transmission and mortality can be reduced if patients are started on treatments – called antiretrovirals (ARVs) – soon after infection. People living with HIV who are consistently taking effective ARV regimens can effectively suppress their viral load, which can prevent death and onward transmission. This requires timely, accurate testing and monitoring. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends routine HIV viral load testing as the “gold standard” for detecting when ARV therapy is failing. However, access to viral load testing has remained low and inconsistent in low- and middle-income countries. By the end of 2018, only 58 per cent of people in these countries who were on a treatment regimen for HIV had access to viral load testing.

Hepatitis

Globally, an estimated 325 million people are living with HBV or HCV, and a significant number of those who are chronically infected will develop cirrhosis or liver cancer. The WHO estimated that 399,000 people died in 2016 as a result of HCV, while HBV is responsible for close to 900,000 deaths per year. Most viral hepatitis deaths are as a result of cirrhosis or primary liver cancer.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV)

HPV is the leading cause of cervical cancer, the second most common cancer among women in low- and middle-income countries. In 2018, of the 311,000 women who lost their lives to cervical cancer, 85 per cent were from such countries. In the same year, there were 570,000 new cases among women in these countries, 84 per cent of the global total.