Generic version of patent-protected drug OK’d for coronavirus in Israel
March 19, 2020
Israel has approved the use of a generic version of a patent-protected antiviral to treat coronavirus patients.
The branded drug, Kaletra, is produced by Abbott Laboratories and has been approved as an HIV treatment. Its patent is set to expire in Israel in 2024.
Israel’s Justice Ministry said that Abbott is not able to supply the country with the desired inventory for treating coronavirus patients. The country also said it would only use Kaletra for COVID-19 patients, not those with HIV.
As of Wednesday morning, Israel had 529 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus.
Read the Reuters report.