Two health advocacy groups have written to the Indian government asking it to rescind patents given to Gilead Sciences for the drug remdesivir so it can be distributed more fairly to coronavirus patients around the world, particularly in poorer nations.
NEW DELHI - Two health advocacy groups have written to the Indian government asking it to rescind patents given to Gilead Sciences for the drug remdesivir so it can be distributed more fairly to coronavirus patients around the world, particularly in poorer nations.
Remdesivir is the only drug approved to treat COVID-19 patients after promising early trial results prompted U.S. regulators to grant emergency use authorisation on May 2. To expand its access, Gilead said this week it had signed non-exclusive licensing pactswith five generic drugmakers based in India and Pakistan, allowing them make and sell remdesivir for 127 countries.
The letter by Third World Network, a Malaysia-based non-profit group, followed a similar appeal by India’s Cancer Patients Aid Association last week. Gilead’s India spokeswoman and India’s commerce and health ministries did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Gilead ties up with generic drugmakers for COVID-19 drug supplyGilead Sciences Inc said on Tuesday it has signed non-exclusive licensing pacts with five generic drugmakers based in India and Pakistan to expand the supply of its experimental COVID-19 treatment remdesivir.
Read more »
Watch NBA Player Kevin Love Get Candid About Mental Health During the COVID-19 PandemicBasketball player Kevin Love opens up about depression in a video interview with Cari Champion for the Aspen Institute.
Read more »
UK PM Johnson says 275 health and social care workers have died from COVID-19British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday that the deaths of 144 health care workers and 131 social care workers had been reported as involving COVID-19.
Read more »