Gilead signs pact with 5 companies for COVID-19 treatment

Gilead Sciences Inc. has entered into a non-exclusive licensing agreement with four Indian companies namely Cipla Ltd, Hetero Labs Ltd, Jubilant Life Sciences and Mylan and one Pakistani firm Ferozsons Laboratories. The agreement is for manufacturing and distribution of the investigational medicine Remdesivir, which has been issued an emergency use authorisation (EUA) by US Food & Drug Administration (USFDA) to treat COVID-19 patients.

As part of the agreement, these companies will be permitted to manufacture the API and finished product and market in 127 countries including India. These countries consist of nearly all low-income and lower middle-income countries, as well as several upper middle and high-income countries that face significant obstacles to healthcare access.

EUA will facilitate the broader use of Remdesivir to treat hospitalised patients with severe symptoms of COVID-19. It is based on the available data of two global clinical trials - US National Institute for Allergy & Infectious Diseases (NIAID) placebo-controlled Phase 3 study in patients with moderate to severe symptoms of COVID-19, and Gilead’s global Phase 3 study evaluating Remdesivir in patients with severe disease.

Multiple additional clinical trials are ongoing to generate more data on the safety and efficacy of Remdesivir as a potential treatment for COVID-19. Remdesivir continues to be an investigational drug that has not been approved by FDA.

On Wednesday, the stock of Cipla opened with gap-up of 5.8 per cent at Rs 603.50 while, the stock of Jubilant Life Sciences got locked in the upper circuit of five per cent at Rs 429.95.