(Reuters) - A week before Eli Lilly disclosed to regulators that the U.S. Justice Department was investigating its New Jersey factory, the drugmaker told employees that its own inquiry, led by an outside law firm, found no evidence of wrongdoing there, according to a company memo reviewed by Reuters.
Drug firm BDR Pharma on Wednesday said it has inked a licensing pact with Eli Lilly and Company for the manufacturing and distribution of Baricitinib for the treatment of Covid-19 in India
Drug firm Eli Lilly said it has signed a voluntary licensing agreement with Natco Pharma to further expedite the availability of baricitinib for Covid-19 patients in India
Under royalty-free, non-exclusive deal, Torrent can make and sell baricitinib in India along with the US firm's other license partners
Eli Lilly has issued additional royalty-free, non-exclusive voluntary licenses to Dr Reddy's Ltd, MSN Laboratories and Torrent Pharmaceuticals
Olumiant, or Baricitinib, is an oral drug developed by US biopharmaceutical major, Incyte Corporation, and licensed to Eli Lilly
The firm has signed licensing agreements with three Indian generic drugmakers to expand the availability of the drug baricitinib
Drug major Cipla on Monday said it has inked a pact with US-based Eli Lilly and Company to manufacture and produce baricitinib in the country for the treatment of Covid-19
Lilly is working closely with the FDA to address concerns about the factory,
Eli Lilly & Co.'s combination antibody therapy reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by 87% in high-risk patients with newly-diagnosed Covid-19, the company said
Eli Lilly had taken "swift and significant action" as soon as it learned about the allegations, a company spokeswoman told Reuters
The recommendation is a blow to Gilead's drug, which was one of the first thought to offer a meaningful benefit to coronavirus patients after a study showed it reduced their recovery time
The FDA authorised the experimental treatment, called bamlanivimab, for use against mild-to-moderate Covid-19 in adults, including those who are 65 and older, and pediatric patients
The initial agreement is for delivery over the first two months following an emergency authorisation
Lilly said the government-sponsored clinical trial of its Covid-19 antibody treatment, which is similar to one taken by U.S. President Donald Trump, had been paused over safety concerns.
Regulators and drugmakers have faced questions about whether political pressure was overwhelming scientific rigor ahead of the presidential election on Nov. 3
Trump touted the Lilly drug, along with the antibody treatment from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc that he received for his Covid-19, as tantamount to a cure in a video he posted last week
The first-of-its-kind study is expected to enrol up to 2,400 participants who live or work at facilities that have had a recently diagnosed case of COVID-19
Lilly said it currently does not anticipate shortages for any of its medicines, including baricitinib
The cash deal comes on the heels of Bristol-Myers Squibb Co's agreement last week to buy Celgene Corp for $74 billion in the largest pharmaceutical deal ever