MSN Labs (MSN) has announced that it has entered into a royalty-free, non-exclusive, and voluntary licence agreement with US-based Eli Lilly and Company to manufacture and market Baricitinib drug for COVID-19 in India.

According to a statement by the company, Baricitinib has been granted a restricted emergency use approval in India by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation for emergency use in combination with Remdesivir for the treatment of suspected or laboratory confirmed COVID-19 in hospitalised adults requiring supplemental oxygen, invasive mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).  

MSN will be launching the product under the brand name BARIDOZ in two strengths -- 2 mg and 4mg. MSN has developed the active pharmaceutical ingredient and the formulation of Baricitinib in its in-house R&D and manufacturing units.

Dr MSN Reddy, CMD, MSN Group, said, “This collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company is a landmark milestone in India’s fight against COVID-19, and will thus help in increasing the availability and affordability of baricitinib”.

As part of the COVID treatment range, MSN has already launched FAVILOW (Favipiravir) in the strengths of 200mg, 400mg, & 800mg, and OSELOW (Oseltamivir) as 75 mg capsules.

India is in the midst of a deadly wave of the coronavirus pandemic. According to Union health ministry data updated on Saturday, India recorded 3,26,098 COVID-19 cases in a day that took the tally to 2,43,72,907, while 3,890 new fatalities pushed the death toll to 2,66,207. The 3,890 new fatalities include 695 from Maharashtra, 373 from Karnataka, 311 from Uttar Pradesh, 289 from Delhi, 288 from Tamil Nadu, 181 from Uttarakhand, 180 from Punjab, 172 from Chhattisgarh, 164 from Haryana, 155 from Rajasthan, 136 from West Bengal and 104 from Gujarat.

India's COVID-19 tally crossed the 10 million mark on December 19 and in under six months it has doubled, surpassing the grim milestone of 20 million cases on May 4.