Pharma major Cipla today said that it has signed a non-exclusive licensing agreement with Gilead Sciences for the manufacturing and distribution of the investigational medicine remdesivir used to treat COVID-19 patients.

Cipla is one of the three Indian companies that have partnered with Gilead for remdesivir, the other two being Jubilant Life Sciences and Hetero Labs.

As part of the agreement, Cipla will be permitted to manufacture the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and finished product, and market it in 127 countries including India and South Africa under Cipla’s own brand name, the company said in its release.

Cipla will receive the manufacturing know-how from Gilead Sciences to manufacture the API and finished product on a commercial scale.

Remdesivir has been issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat COVID-19 patients. The drug has not yet been approved by the USFDA.

Commenting on the partnership, Cipla MD and Global CEO Umang Vohra said, “We are pleased to partner with Gilead for this cause and take this treatment to patients across countries after the required regulatory approvals. Our partnership with Gilead is a significant step towards saving millions of lives impacted by the pandemic.”

First Published:May 13, 2020 9:07 AM IST