Gilead Sciences Inc. has signed a non-exclusive voluntary licensing agreements with five generic drug makers to manufacture remdesivir, its experimental COVID-19 drug, for distribution in 127 countries. Gilead signed the licensing deals with five generic drug makers based in India and Pakistan to further expand the supply of remdesivir. The five companies are Cipla Ltd., Hetero Labs Ltd., Jubilant Lifesciences, Mylan as well as Ferozsons Laboratories.

The drug will be distributed in 127 countries consisting of nearly all low-income and lower-middle-income countries as well as several upper-middle- and high-income countries that face significant obstacles to healthcare access. The coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 4.38 million people globally and claimed at least 294,600 lives till now. Gilead has said its overarching goal is to make remdesivir both accessible and affordable to governments and patients around the world.

Under the licensing agreements, the five generic drug makers have a right to receive a technology transfer of the Gilead manufacturing process for remdesivir to enable them to scale up production more quickly. The licensees will be able to set their own prices for the generic drugs they produce. Gilead noted that the licenses are royalty-free until the World Health Organization declares that the COVID-19 pandemic is no longer a global health crisis, or until a pharmaceutical product other than remdesivir or a vaccine is approved, whichever is earlier.

Remdesivir is one of many drugs being tested as a potential treatment for severely and moderately ill COVID-19 patients. On May 1, the FDA issued emergency use authorization for remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19 in adults and children hospitalized with severe disease. In clinical trials, intravenously administered remdesivir has been shown to shorten the recovery time in some COVID-19 patients.

Gilead has set a goal of producing at least 500,000 rounds of remdesivir by October 2020, one million rounds by the end of 2020 and millions more in 2021, if required. These targets are based on a ten-day treatment course.