Domestic drug firms Cipla, Emcure, Hetero and Natco have inked pacts with Bristol-Myers Squibb and a United Nations-backed public health organisation MPP to produce and sell generic daclatasvir in 112 countries.
Bristol-Myers Squibb's daclatasvir is a novel direct- acting antiviral that is proven to help cure multiple genotypes of the hepatitis C virus (HCV).
Generic companies Cipla, Emcure, Hetero and Natco have signed non-exclusive, royalty free agreements with Bristol-Myers Squibb and the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) to produce and sell daclatasvir in 112 low- and middle-income countries, the companies said in a joint statement.
"Given the burden of hepatitis C, MPP worked quickly to forge agreements with generic companies. Cipla, Hetero and Emcure are long-term partners working with us to develop generic HIV antiretrovirals. We welcome Natco, a new collaborator, to the MPP and hope to have other companies on board as well," MPP Executive Director Greg Perry said.
MPP is assessing applications from several other companies and expects to grant further sub-licences soon, he added.
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 million and 150 million people worldwide are estimated to have hepatitis C. The vast majority lives in low- and middle-income countries.
The MPP licence allows generic manufacturers to develop fixed-dose combinations that offer the potential to treat all of the six major genotypes of hepatitis C (HCV).
Commenting on the development Cipla, Chief Medical Officer Jaideep Gogtay said the company is pleased to once again work with the MPP to bring new classes of drugs to people who need them the most in developing countries.
"We look forward to collaborating with MPP to improve access to these medicines in India and elsewhere," Natco Vice Chairman & CEO Rajeev Nannapaneni said.
Emcure, Head of Strategy Vik Thapar said the licence will help the company to distribute daclatasvir to low- and middle-income countries at affordable prices.
The MPP is a United Nations-backed public health organisation working to increase access to HIV, viral hepatitis C and tuberculosis treatments in low and middle income countries.
