As part of its policy to extend access to Viramune®, since 2000 Boehringer Ingelheim offers its antiretroviral product Viramune® (nevirapine) for single-dose use in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) for free through the Viramune® Donation Program. So far, around 1.9 million mother/child doses have been made available to 170 programs in 60 countries.

Viramune® should be administered with additional anti-retroviral medicine as recommended by actual WHO guidelines. Recent studies suggest that in women and infants previously treated with single-dose nevirapine for prevention of mother-to-child-transmission of HIV-1, the efficacy of subsequent Viramune® combination therapy may be reduced.

For chronic treatment, Boehringer Ingelheim charges a substantially reduced price for all countries classified by the World Bank as low income, all Least Developed Countries according to UN definition and for all countries in sub-Saharan Africa - a total of 74 countries. In addition, all middle income countries qualify for a lowered price (67 countries).

For more information on the company's other HIV/AIDS activities, see the HIV/AIDS - Mother & Child Programs section, ARV Licensing in Developing Countries (non-assert declarations) and Additional Health Initiatives.