Cipla to make and sell Eli Lilly’s baricitinib drug for Covid-19 treatment

Drug maker Cipla has inked a deal with US pharma company Eli Lilly to expand access to Covid-19 treatment in India. The Indian pharma giant has entered into a licensing agreement with the US company to make and sell Lilly’s arthritis drug baricitinib for the treatment of COVID-19 patients, news agency Reuters reported.

Baricitinib was issued a restricted emergency use approval by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), Ministry of Health, India for use in combination with remdesivir for the treatment of suspected or laboratory confirmed COVID-19 in hospitalized adults requiring supplemental oxygen, invasive mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), Cipla said in a press release.

The Drug maker said the colloboration will help step up its efforts to enhance access to critical treatments for patients affected by the pandemic and the company will leverage its extensive distribution footprint to make this therapy accessible to more patients and markets.

Last year, Eli Lilly received an emergency use approval for baricitinib in combination with remdesivir to treat COVID-19 patients in United States. Apart from remdesivir and tocilizumab, the company also offers antiviral drug favipiravir, used to treat patients with moderate to mild COVID-19.

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Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Umang Vohra (MD and Global CEO, Cipla Limited) 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.”

Meanwhile, India continues to suffer from worst healthcare crisis in decades. The country witnessed a single-day rise of 3,66,161 COVID-19 cases on Monday, which pushed its tally to 2,26,62,575, according to the health ministry.