Merck’s experimental HIV prevention pill could be made for less than $5 a year, researchers say

Ed Silverman, a senior writer and Pharmalot columnist at STAT, has been covering the pharmaceutical industry for nearly three decades. He is also the author of the morning Pharmalittle newsletter and the afternoon Pharmalot newsletter .

An experimental HIV prevention pill being developed by Merck could be mass produced for less than $5 per patient a year according to a new analysis, and the researchers argue the low cost means the company should find it easier to license the drug so that low- and middle-income countries can gain easy access.

The pill, dubbed MK 8527, is currently undergoing a pair of late-stage clinical trials that are expected to determine whether the medicine can lower HIV transmission when given to people at high risk of infection. The results are due in the latter half of 2027, according to separate postings on ClinicalTrials.gov.

Already, the pill is generating considerable interest after Merck released mid-stage results last summer showing its drug holds promise. In addition to being safe and effective, the study found it could protect against infection, a form of prevention known as pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP, within 24 hours after being taken. Merck noted the pill works in a novel way.