New Delhi: Eli Lilly announced that it has issued royalty-free, non-exclusive voluntary licenses to Indian pharmaceutical manufacturers of generic medicines, Cipla Ltd., Lupin Ltd. and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., who are collaborating with Lilly to accelerate and expand the availability of baricitinib in India.
Lilly is also in discussions with several other Indian manufacturers for the potential grant of additional voluntary licenses.
These voluntary licensing agreements will ensure high quality manufacturing and accessibility of baricitinib during this pandemic improving the local treatment options available to positively impact the lives of people who are currently battling Eli Lilly signs agreements with Cipla, Lupin and Sun Pharma -19 in India.
Lilly has recently received permission for restricted emergency use by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), Ministry of Health, for baricitinib to be used in combination with Remdesivir for the treatment of suspected or laboratory confirmed Eli Lilly signs agreements with Cipla, Lupin and Sun Pharma -19 in hospitalized adults requiring supplemental oxygen, invasive mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).
Commenting on the development, Luca Visini, Managing Director, India Subcontinent, Lilly India, said, "Lilly is committed to supporting India in this healthcare challenge through our innovative and effective portfolio of breakthrough medicines. During the current surging Covid-19 pandemic, we have responded by issuing three voluntary licenses for baricitinib by pharmaceutical companies in India to accelerate its local manufacturing and distribution under best quality conditions.”
“More licenses to additional Indian generic manufacturers are expected to be announced soon. This is in addition to the donations being offered by Lilly to the Indian Government that will potentially help alleviate the burden of Eli Lilly signs agreements with Cipla, Lupin and Sun Pharma -19. We will continue to explore other possible initiatives to support patients and the healthcare system in India," he added.
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Lilly is working closely with the Government in India to defeat the pandemic via different initiatives including donations and expanding availability of Lilly therapies in private or public markets.
On the 4th of May, Lilly also announced that an initial donation of 400,000 baricitinib tablets was being made immediately available through the humanitarian aid organization, Direct Relief, to the Indian government for eligible hospitalized Covid-19 patients in India, while urgently working to increase product supply over the coming days.
We will leverage our extensive network to make baricitinib accessible: Cipla
This collaboration is a step further in the company's efforts to enhance access to critical treatments for patients affected by the pandemic, Cipla said in a statement.
The company will leverage its extensive distribution footprint to make this therapy accessible to more patients and markets, it added.
Through the pandemic, Cipla has been at the forefront of COVID care and our partnership with Lilly is a demonstration of our unwavering commitment to care towards patients impacted by COVID-19, Cipla Ltd MD and Global CEO Umang Vohra noted.
Cipla had last year launched a generic version of antiviral drug remdesivir to treat COVID-19 patients.
The drug firm had also introduced antibody detection kits for COVID-19 in the country under the brand name 'ELIFast' in partnership with KARWA Ltd, under the technology transfer from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
Growing number of Covid-19 infections
India witnessed a single-day rise of 3,66,161 COVID-19 cases on Monday, which pushed its tally to 2,26,62,575, according to the health ministry.
The death toll due to the viral disease climbed to 2,46,116 with 3,754 more people succumbing to it, the ministry's data updated at 8 am showed.
(With Agency Inputs)
