Sun Pharma signs licensing deal with Lilly for Covid-19 drug baricitinib

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries (Sun Pharma) said that it has signed a royalty-free, non-exclusive voluntary licensing agreement with Eli Lilly and Company for expanding access to the latter’s baricitinib in India.

The Indian pharma company Sun Pharma will manufacture and distribute baricitinib in India.

Baricitinib has been granted restricted emergency use by India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) in combination with remdesivir for the treatment of suspected or lab confirmed Covid-19 in hospitalized adults needing supplemental oxygen, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), or invasive mechanical ventilation.

Sun Pharma signs licensing deal with Lilly for Covid-19 drug baricitinib. Image courtesy of visuals3Dde from Pixabay.

Kirti Ganorkar – CEO of Sun Pharma India business said: “Through this collaboration, we aim to join our forces with Lilly to accelerate access to baricitinib in India at a time when it is most needed. This is another step by Sun Pharma towards making more treatment options available to patients in India for dealing with the pandemic.”