Eli Lilly licenses rheumatoid arthritis manufacturing in Africa

American pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly has signed a partnership with Egyptian organisation Eva Pharma to localise manufacturing of rheumatoid arthritis treatments in Africa. 

The two companies have previously collaborated since 2021, with a partnership to manufacturing insulin in Africa. The agreement enabled individuals in 56 African nations access to affordable insulin. This recent collaboration will aim to expand access to rheumatoid arthritis drug product baricitinib for an estimated 20,000 individuals across 49 low- and middle-income nations in Africa by 2030. Baricitinib is also indicated for use against alopecia areata, atopic dermatitis, and COVID-19.  

The collaboration comes as part of Eli Lilly’s 30x30 initiative. This project aims to improve quality healthcare access to 30 million people in resource-limited regions year-on-year by 2030. Ilya Yuffa, Executive Vice President and President of Lilly International, commented, “Our commitment to expanding access to affordable and innovative medicines for people living in low- to middle-income countries continues. Following our collaboration with EVA Pharma on insulin manufacturing, we are now establishing the first of its kind voluntary licensing agreement for Lilly, where the company will provide certain baricitinib manufacturing know-how to enable EVA Pharma to manufacture and supply baricitinib to people in 49 countries across Africa.” 

With the manufacturing license and knowledge provided by Eli Lilly, EVA Pharma will utilise its high-containment facility to begin sales of locally manufacturing baricitinib by 2026 to various African countries. EVA Pharma’s pan-African reach and local manufacturing and distribution capabilities paired with Eli Lilly’s expertise will enable people across Africa to access a much-needed treatment. “We are proud to localise the entire value chain of this critical medication on the continent, from producing high-potency baricitinib active pharmaceutical ingredient to tackling complex manufacturing challenges,” stated Riad Armanious, CEO of EVA Pharma.  

Source: 

Lilly and EVA Pharma collaborate to expand access to baricitinib in low- to middle-income countries [Accessed September 10, 2024] https://investor.lilly.com/news-releases/news-release-details/lilly-and-eva-pharma-collaborate-expand-access-baricitinib-low