Dr Reddy's to collaborate with Eli Lilly for COVID-19 treatment drug Baricitinib
Baricitinib has received restricted emergency use approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) for use in combination with Remdesivir for the treatment of suspected or laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 cases.
For manufacturing and commercializing Baricitinib in India, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories announced that it has entered into a royalty-free, non-exclusive voluntary licensing agreement with Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) for the manufacture and commercialization of the drug.
Baricitinib has received restricted emergency use approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) for use 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 (ECMO).
Eli Lilly and Company is an American pharmaceutical company headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.
This partnership comes at a critical juncture in the fight against the pandemic in India, and adds to the company's existing range of Covid-19 therapeutics covering the full spectrum from mild to moderate and severe conditions of the disease, and a vaccine, Dr Reddy's noted.
"From the start, we have been determined to explore every possible avenue against Covid-19. Our collaboration with Lilly will help us make yet another treatment option available to patients in India," Dr Reddy's Laboratories CEO (API and Services) Deepak Sapra said.
According to media reports, on May 4, Lilly 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.
On May 10, Eli Lilly and Company had announced voluntary licensing agreements with Sun Pharma, Cipla and Lupin to expedite availability of its arthritis drug Baricitinib for treatment of Covid-19 patients in India.
Dr Reddy's also announced the launch of Ertapenem for Injection, 1 g/vial, a therapeutic equivalent generic version of INVANZ(ertapenem for injection) for injection, 1 g/vial, approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA).
"We are pleased to bring this important product to market at this time," Marc Kikuchi, CEO, North America Generics, Dr Reddy's Laboratories was quoted by IANS. He added, "We're excited to extend our strategic partnership with Gland Pharma whose hard work, in collaboration with the team at Dr Reddy's, has enabled the execution of this launch.
"We are delighted about this collaboration, as it brings together Dr Reddy's experienced marketing and distribution capabilities and Gland Pharma's robust development and manufacturing capabilities. Gland Pharma has an exclusive API supply arrangement for this product and a dedicated manufacturing facility in Hyderabad for Ertapenem Injection. With the launch of this product we see increased capacity utilization of this dedicated Penem facility," said Srinivas Sadu, MD and CEO of Gland Pharma Ltd according to the report.
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