Licensing Deal

MSD Enters Pact With UN-backed MPP To License COVID Drug Molnupiravir In 105 Countries Including India

October 28,2021 09:45 AM
- By Admin

Under the terms of the agreement, MPP will be permitted to further license nonexclusive sub-licences to manufacturers and diversify the manufacturing base for the supply of quality-assured or WHO-prequalified molnupiravir to countries covered by the MPP Licence.

US drug maker MSD and Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) on Wednesday entered into voluntary licencing agreement to facilitate affordable global access for molnupiravir, an investigational oral COVID-19 antiviral medicine. This agreement will help create broad access for molnupiravir use in 105 low- and middleincome countries (LMICs) including India following appropriate regulatory approvals

Under the terms of the agreement, MPP will be permitted to further license nonexclusive sub-licences to manufacturers and diversify the manufacturing base for the supply of quality-assured or WHO-prequalified molnupiravir to countries covered by the MPP Licence. MSD, Ridgeback Biotherapeutics and Emory University will not receive royalties for sales of molnupiravir under this agreement for as long as COVID-19 remains classified as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization. MPP is a UN-backed organisation that negotiates public-health driven licences with patent holders, and sub-licenses to generic manufacturers to encourage the sale of lower-cost generic versions of medicines. MSD and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics are jointly developing molnupiravir. MSD and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics recently announced the submission of an Emergency Use Authorization application for molnupiravir to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and are actively working with additional regulatory agencies worldwide. If authorized, molnupiravir could be the first oral antiviral medicine available for COVID-19 therapy. In India, MSD has signed non-exclusive voluntary licensing agreements with eight companies — Aurobindo Pharma, Cipla, Dr Reddy’s Labs (DRL), Emcure Pharmaceuticals, Hetero Labs, Sun Pharmaceuticals, Torrent Pharmaceuticals and Viatris (erstwhile Mylan). This would allow them to make and sell in India and 100 other low- and middle-income countries. In addition other smaller companies like Optimus Pharma without license from MSD are also in the race to launch the drug.