Eli Lilly have announced new initiatives to help COVID-19 patients in India. Lilly is offering donations of baricitinib to the Indian government through Direct Relief while working with local Indian pharmaceutical companies to execute royalty-free voluntary licensing agreements to accelerate the manufacturing and distribution of the medicine in India during the pandemic. An initial donation of 400,000 baricitinib tablets is being made immediately available to the Indian government for eligible hospitalized COVID-19 patients in India and Lilly will work to increase the quantity of donated product over the coming weeks.
On Monday, Lilly received permission for restricted emergency use from Central Drugs Standard Control Organization, a division of Ministry of Health, for baricitinib (2 mg and 4 mg) in combination with remdesivir, for treatment of suspected or laboratory confirmed COVID-19 in hospitalized adults requiring supplemental oxygen, invasive mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Baricitinib is an oral medication currently registered in India for the treatment of moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis.
Baricitinib is authorized for use under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) in combination with remdesivir, for treatment of suspected or laboratory confirmed coronavirus disease 2019.
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