Kenyan drugmaker licensed to make a once-a-month HIV prevention pill

A Kenyan drugmaker is preparing to make a new once-a-month HIV prevention pill. Universal Corporation Limited (UCL), based in Kikuyu, has been given a royalty-free licence by MSD, known as Merck in the US and Canada, to produce a generic version of alimatravir.

What the drug is

Alimatravir (MK-8527) is an experimental pill taken once a month to prevent HIV, a form of pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP. It is in Phase 3 clinical trials and has not yet been approved anywhere. Most oral PrEP today is a daily pill.

The licence

• In July 2026, MSD announced voluntary licences with seven generic manufacturers. Three are African: UCL in Kenya, Quality Chemical Industries in Uganda and Aspen Pharmacare in South Africa.
• The licences cover possible supply to 129 low- and lower-middle-income countries, if the drug succeeds in trials and wins regulatory approval.
• Unitaid, the global health agency, is giving the three African firms technical and financial support to prepare for production.
• UCL runs a WHO-prequalified factory and supplies medicines to more than 23 African countries.

UCL Managing Director Palu Dhanani said the company looked forward to working with MSD and others "to support equitable access to HIV prevention."

Why it matters

New HIV medicines have usually reached Africa years after rich countries, and mostly as imports. Signing up African manufacturers while the drug is still in trials is meant to close that gap. Kenya already began offering the twice-yearly injection lenacapavir in February 2026. Read how Zimbabwe is rolling out lenacapavir.