Covid-19: Four Indian firms sign deal with Gilead for Remdesivir

Remdesivir, antiviral drug was approved by the United States’ Food and Drug Administration earlier this month as a treatment for patients severely ill with Covid-19. Pharmaceutical companies in India have signed deals with American biopharmaceutical firm Gilead Sciences for the sale of remdesivir

Jubilant Life Sciences, Cipla, Mylan and Hetero, signed a licencing agreement for selling remdesivir in 127 countries.

Gilead gave Jubilant the right for a technology transfer for manufacturing remdesivir to scale up production and enable expedited access to covid patients after approvals by authorities in various nations.

It also gets the rights to manufacture the drug and scale up production in nearly all low-income and middle-income countries, as well as some high-income nations.

Hetero announced that remdesivir will be manufactured at its formulation facility in Hyderabad. Cipla said the agreement is part of its efforts to enhance global access to life-saving treatments for patients affected by the pandemic.

Mylan has been earlier licensed by Gilead for the HIV medicine, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and Remdesivir is the tenth medicine licensed to Mylan by Gilead.