Five of the world's leading generics drug makers have signed a deal with the developer of the antiviral drug remdesivir -- the only drug so far approved as a treatment for COVID-19 -- that will make this life-saving cure available in 127 countries.
Gilead Sciences, Inc., the California-based biotech firm that developed remdesivir, said it has signed non-exclusive voluntary licensing agreements with five generic pharmaceutical manufacturers based in India, Pakistan and the United States to quickly expand the supply of remdesivir.
These five firms will distribute the remdesivir they produce in "low-income and lower-middle-income countries, as well as several upper-middle- and high-income countries facing healthcare challenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
These generics firms are Cipla Ltd. from India, Ferozsons Laboratories from Pakistan, Hetero Labs Ltd. from India, Jubilant Lifesciences from India and Mylan N.V. based in Pennsylvania.
The licensing agreement will allow these firms to manufacture remdesivir for distribution in 127 countries, excluding the United States. Gilead said the licenses are royalty-free until the World Health Organization (WHO) declares the end of the Public Health Emergency of International Concern regarding COVID-19, or until a drug other than remdesivir or a vaccine is approved to treat or prevent COVID-19, whichever is earlier.
Under the licensing agreements, the five companies have a right to receive a technology transfer of the Gilead manufacturing process for remdesivir to enable them to accelerate production more quickly. Each licensee will set their own prices for the generic product it produces.
The 127 countries are:
Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Armenia, Aruba, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cayman Island, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo Republic, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba and Curacao.
Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini (Swaziland), Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea Bis, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Jamaica Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea (Democratic People's Republic or North Korea), Kyrgyzstan, Lao Democratic Republic, Lesotho Liberia and Libya.
Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Micronesia, Federated States, Moldova, Mongolia, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines.
Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Sint Maarten (Dutch part), Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Sudan, Surinam, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Turks & Caicos, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
