Zydus, Medicines Patent Pool inks agreement for Bristol-Myers Squibb's daclatasvir tablets

Zydus Cadila, a leading global healthcare firm, on 7 July 2016 inked a non-exclusive, royalty free agreement with the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP). Under the pact they will be manufacturing global pharma major Bristol-Myers Squibb’s daclatasvir tablets used for the treatment of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). Bristol-Myers Squibb’s daclatasvir is a novel direct-acting antiviral (DAA) that is proven to help

cure multiple genotypes of HCV.

The agreement sub-licences Zydus to produce and sell daclatasvir in 112 low and middle income countries. Between 130 and 150 million people worldwide are estimated to have HCV.

The MPP licence allows generic manufacturers to develop fixed-dose combinations that offer the potential to treat all of the six major genotypes of HCV. Daclatasvir, in combination with other DAAs, for example sofosbuvir, produces high cure rates after 12 weeks of treatment, with recent Phase III studies demonstrating  that  the  regimen  could  cure  up  to  100%  of  HCV  patients  depending  on genotype and stage of liver disease.

About Zydus Cadila

Zydus  Cadila  is  an  innovative,  global  pharmaceutical  company  that  discovers,  develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of healthcare therapies. The group launched its own patented NCE –Lipaglyn, the world’s first drug to be approved for the treatment of diabetic dyslipidemia.

It also launched ‘Exemptia’ the world’s first biosimilar of Adalimumab for the treatment  of  inflammatory  arthritis,  Ulcerative  Colitis  and  Crohn’s  Disease  in  adult  & paediatric  patients.  The group aspires to be a research-based pharmaceutical company by 2020. The group employs over 19000 people worldwide.