American pharmaceutical company, Eli Lilly and Company (“Lilly”) has issued an additional royalty-free, non-exclusive voluntary licence to Natco Pharma - a local pharmaceutical manufacturer of generic medicines to expand the availability of the drug, Baricitinib, used in the treatment of Covid 19.
Lilly received permission on May 3 for restricted emergency use by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) for Baricitinib to be used 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).
It may be recalled that early this month Natco had received an approval from CDSCO under compulsory licence based on emergency use to produce Baricitinib.
Recently, Lilly had also announced the signing of six voluntary licence agreements with Cipla, Lupin, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Dr. Reddy’s MSN Laboratories and Torrent Pharmaceuticals, for the access of the Baricitinib drug by people in India.