Gilead Sciences in Talks with Indian and Pakistani Manufacturers for Remdesivir Licensing to Expand Global Access

Edited by Wang Xin, NBD

Jiemian News, May 6 — According to The Wall Street Journal, Gilead Sciences announced on Tuesday that it would enter into agreements with other pharmaceutical manufacturers to produce and market remdesivir, a drug for treating COVID-19, outside the United States. At least until 2022, production licenses will be granted in Europe, Asia, and developing countries to ensure supply meets global demand. Gilead is currently negotiating with pharmaceutical companies in India and Pakistan to grant them long-term licenses to sell generic versions of the drug in developing countries.

According to Sina Finance, analysts at Piper Sandler stated that if Gilead Sciences’ remdesivir is priced at $4,500 per course of treatment for COVID-19, it would be considered a reasonable price and could still generate over $2 billion in revenue.

This is the maximum price recommended by the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review for a 10-day course of remdesivir treatment. The drug received emergency use authorization from U.S. regulators on Friday. To date, Gilead Sciences has remained silent on its pricing strategy and did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Piper Sandler analyst Tyler Van Buren stated on a call that the $4,500 price “seems really reasonable.”

Gilead Sciences, Inc. CEO Daniel O’Day stated on Sunday that remdesivir would be available to patients in the United States by the first half of this week. Gilead has collaborated with the U.S. government to determine which cities’ patients would receive priority access to this antiviral drug.

(Compiled by National Business Daily from Jiemian News and Sina Finance)