Dr Reddy's inks licensing pact with Gilead Sciences for Remdesivir

Hyderabad: Dr Reddy's Laboratories said on Saturday it has entered into a non-exclusive licensing agreement with Gilead Sciences Inc that will grant Dr Reddy's the right to register, manufacture and sell Gilead's investigational drug Remdesivir, a potential treatment for Covid-19 in 127 countries including India.

Dr Reddy's will receive technology transfer from Gilead for manufacturing of this drug. It will need to do the manufacturing scale up and obtain regulatory approval for marketing of this drug in respective countries.

Gilead Sciences has signed similar non-exclusive voluntary licensing agreements with Cipla, Hetero Labs, Jubilant Lifesciences, Mylan and Zydus Cadila. All these licences are royalty-free until the World Health Organisation declares the world free from coronavirus pandemic, or a drug or vaccine is approved against the deadly virus.

Remdesivir, an investigational anti-viral therapy developed by Gilead, has received emergency use authorisation by the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) to treat Covid-19.

On June 1, the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) granted the marketing authorisation to Gilead Sciences' anti-viral drug remdesivir injection 5 mg/mL and Remdesivir lyophilised powder for injection 100 mg for the treatment of suspected or laboratory-confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in adults and children hospitalised with severe disease.