US-based Eli Lilly and Company has entered into a royalty-free, non-exclusive voluntary licensing agreement with three Indian pharmaceutical firms Cipla, Sun Pharmaceuticals and Lupin to produce and distribute the Covid-19 drug Baricitinib in India.
Baricitinib, a once-daily, oral medication was discovered by US-based Incyte and licensed to Eli Lilly.
The drug is approved in the US and more than 75 nations to treat moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis in adults.
It was licensed recently approved in the European Union and Japan to treat adult patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis who are candidates for systemic therapy.
Commenting on the licensing agreement, Cipla MD and Global CEO Umang Vohra said: “Enabling access to high-quality treatment and medication is core to our purpose of ‘Caring for life’.
“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.”
Recently, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation has given emergency use authorisation for Lilly’s Baricitinib to be used with Remdesivir to treat hospitalised Covid-19 patients who need supplemental oxygen, invasive mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).
Sun Pharma India business CEO Kirti Ganorkar said: “Through this collaboration, we aim to join our forces with Lilly to accelerate access to Baricitinib in India at a time when it is most needed. This is another step by Sun Pharma towards making more treatment options available to patients in India for dealing with the pandemic.”
