Gilead ties up with 4 generic drugmakers in India, to supply COVID-19 drug remdesivir in 127 countries

Updated May 13, 2020 | 12:42 IST

Remdesivir, a drug produced by Galied has shown promise in treatment against COVID-19. The drug was also approved by USFDA for emergency use in COVID-19 treatment.

Gilead ties up with 4 generic drugmakers in India, to supply COVID-19 drug remdesivir in 127 countries | Photo Credit: iStock Images

Key Highlights

Gilead has tied up with 5 generic drugmakers, based in India and Pakistan to expand the production of remdesivir

Remdesivir has shown promise in treatment of COVID-19 in clinical trials

The licencees will not have to pay any royalty, and will also have autonomy in deciding prices

New Delhi: Gilead Sciences Inc, an American biopharmaceutical company tied up with a total of 5 generic drugmakers based in India and Pakistan to expand the supply of remdesivir, a drug that has shown promise in early trials for the treatment of COVID-19.

On Tuesday, the company signed non-exclusive licensing pacts with these five drugmakers, four of which are from India. The companies included in the pact are – Jubliant Life Sciences Ltd., Cipla Ltd, Hetero Labs Ltd, Mylan NV, Ferozsons Laboratories Ltd. These companies will make and sell the drug in 127 countries, according to a Reuters report.

The 127 countries to which the drugs are likely to be supplied are nearly all low-income or lower-middle-income countries. They also include several upper-middle and high-income countries. Afghanistan, India, North Korea, Pakistan and South Africa are some of the countries where the drug will be supplied. Gilead has also given the licensees autonomy in deciding their own prices for the generic product that they produce. These licenses will be royalty-free until the public health crisis and emergency caused due to COVID-19 is declared over by the World Health Organisation, or until a drug other than remdesivir/ a vaccine is produced to treat or prevent the coronavirus infection.

Remdesivir, an antiviral drug produced by Gilead had shown promise in trials conducted to treat COVID-19. According to one study, more than 68 per cent of COVID-19 patients showed improvement when treated with remdesivir. The drug was also approved by the USFDA for emergency use to treat COVID-19 patients.

Currently, no specific treatment or vaccine exists for COVID-19. More than a hundred vaccines, around the world, are under development and various drugs including those used for HIV treatments are being tested for COVID-19. More than 4 million people around the world have been infected with the virus, and the deadly virus has claimed at least 2,92,000 lives till now.