MSN Labs has joined a small, but growing list of drugmakers in India with whom US pharma giant Eli Lilly has got into royalty free, non-exclusive, voluntary license agreements for manufacture and marketing of Baricitinib, a drug used to treat COVID-19.
A statement from MSN on May 13, announcing the signing of the agreement, said the Hyderabad-based company will be launching the product under the brand name Baridoz in two strengths -- 2 mg and 4 mg. MSN has developed the active pharmaceutical ingredient and the formulation of baricitinib in its in-house research and development and manufacturing units, it said.
Earlier this month, baricitinib was granted restricted emergency use approval by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization. It has been approved for emergency use 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).
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MSN Group CMD MSN Reddy said the collaboration with Eli Lilly is important in India’s fight against COVID-19 and would help increase availability and affordability of baricitinib. MSN is already into two other COVID-19 drugs, Favilow (Favipiravir) and Oselow (Oseltamivir).
Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories is another drugmaker from Hyderabad with whom Eli Lilly has a royalty-free, non-exclusive voluntary licensing agreement for the manufacture and commercialisation of baricitinib, in India. Cipla, Sun Pharmaceuticals and Lupin are the other companies have announced the agreement with Eli Lilly.