 "Cipla to sell hepatitis C drug Daclatasvir")
Cipla and three other drug makers - Emcure, Hetero and Natco - will sell generic version of Bristol-Myer Squibb's anti-hepatitis drug, Daclatasvir.
The drug makers will manufacture and sell the anti-hepatitis drug in 112 low- and middle-income countries under a sub-licence from The Medicines Patent Pool, a United Nations-backed public health organisation, which works with pharma companies to increase availability of key drugs.
The sub-licences follow MPP's announcement of its first hepatitis C licensing agreement, signed with Bristol-Myers Squibb in November 2015, and mark the first time that generic manufacturers have worked through a non-profit, public health organisation to increase access to new hepatitis C medicines for developing world patients.
Between 130-150 million people worldwide are estimated to have Hepatitis C and a majority of them live in low and middle income countries.
"We are pleased to once again work with the MPP to bring new classes of drugs to people who need them the most in developing countries," said Dr Jaideep Gogtay, chief medical officer of Cipla.