COVID-19 treatment: Eli Lilly partners with Cipla, Lupin, Sun Pharma to manufacture, distribute Baricitinib in India

Eli Lilly said it iwa also in discussions with several other Indian manufacturers for the potential grant of additional voluntary licenses.

Viswanath Pilla
May 10, 2021 / 09:09 AM IST

Eli Lilly has partnered with Cipla, Lupin, Sun Pharma to manufacture and distribute Baricitinib in India

 
 
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US drug-maker Eli Lilly, on May 10, announced that it had issued royalty-free, non-exclusive voluntary licenses to established Indian pharmaceutical manufacturers of generic medicines, Cipla, Lupin and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries to manufacture and distribute Baricitinib in India.

Lilly said it was 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 COVID-19 in India," Eli Lilly said in a statement.

“Lilly is committed to supporting India in this healthcare challenge through our innovative and effective portfolio of breakthrough medicines," said Luca Visini, Managing Director - India Subcontinent, Eli Lilly India.

"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," Visini added.

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A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

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In addition to voluntary licenses, Eli Lilly said it had made donation of 400,000 Baricitinib tablets was being made immediately available through the humanitarian aid organisation, Direct Relief to the Indian government

"We will continue to explore other possible initiatives to support patients and the healthcare system in India,” Visini said.

Meanwhile, Lilly continues to engage in active dialogue with the regulatory authorities and government in India to donate Lilly’s anti-COVID-19 treatments, including Lilly’s neutralizing antibodies (bamlanivimab and bamlanivimab and etesevimab to be administered together).

Eli Lilly was challenged by Natco Pharma, which also received CDSCO approval. Natco has filed a Compulsory Licensing (CL) application before Indian Patent Office seeking license to manufacture and distribute the drug in India. Even as CL proceedings are underway, the company went ahead and launched the drug at Rs 30 per tablet.

Please read here how Natco has put pressure on drug giant Elil Lilly.
Viswanath Pilla is a business journalist with 14 years of reporting experience. Based in Mumbai, Pilla covers pharma, healthcare and infrastructure sectors for Moneycontrol.
TAGS: #Business #Companies #coronavirus #Health
first published: May 10, 2021 09:09 am