Hyderabad-based Saptagir Laboratories, part of the Rs 900 crore Saptagir Group, on Monday announced a pact with Jubilant Generics- a Jubilant Life Sciences company, to manufacture intermediates and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) for intravenous administered drug Remdesivir.
The drug will be produced at its Hyderabad World Health Organization (WHO) GMP certified sterile drug product manufacturing plant, acquired at an investment of Rs 75 crore.
Remdesivir is an experimental antiviral drug developed by Gilead Sciences, Inc. as a course of treatment for covid-19. Gilead entered into a non-exclusive licensing agreement with Jubilant Life Sciences for distribution to 127 countries. Following this, Jubilant Life Sciences through its subsidiary Jubilant Generics has entered an exclusive agreement with Saptagir Laboratories to manufacture Remdesivir.
Currently, Remdesivir is the only drug that has received an Emergency Use Authorization from the US health regulator, and has been approved for emergency use in countries such as Singapore, India, Japan, Europe, and Australia, for the treatment of covid-19.