Eli Lilly in drug pact with Indian firms for COVID-19 treatment

The company has issued royalty-free, non-exclusive voluntary licenses to established Indian pharmaceutical manufacturers of generic medicines, Cipla, Lupin and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, who are collaborating with Lilly to accelerate and expand the availability of Baricitinib in India,” Eli Lilly and Company said in a statement. 

The company is also in discussions with several other Indian manufacturers for the potential grant of additional voluntary licenses, it added. 

“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 COVID-19 in India,” Eli Lilly and Company said. 

The company has recently received permission for restricted emergency use by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), for Baricitinib to be used in combination with Remdesivir for the treatment of suspected or laboratory confirmed COVID-19 in hospitalised adults requiring supplemental oxygen, invasive mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, it added. 

During the 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,” Luca Visini, MD, India Subcontinent, Lilly India said. 

It had last week said an initial donation of 4,00,000 Baricitinib tablets through the humanitarian aid organisation, Direct Relief, is being made immediately available to the Centre for eligible hospitalised COVID-19 patients in India and that it will work urgently to increase the quantity of donated product multifold over the coming weeks. 

Baricitinib is currently registered in India for the treatment of moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis in adult patients who have responded inadequately to, or who are intolerant to one or more disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs.