Hanmi & Celltrion are producing generic COVID tx

MPP signed a contract to produce generic for Largevrio

Hanmi and Celltrion produce oral COVID-19 treatments developed by MSD and supply them to underdeveloped countries.

 

According to the industry on the 20th, Hanmi and Celltrion have completed a license-in contract with the MPP for the production of generic drugs for Molnupiravir (Lagevrio) treatment for COVID-19.

 

The license contract is based on the granting of a non-exclusive license by MSD, the original developer of "Molnupiravir," that allows the sale of mid- to low-income countries through MPP, an international institution, to expand access to COVID-19 treatments.

 

A number of pharmaceutical companies around the world submitted letters of intent to select licensees, and only 27 companies were given licenses.

 

Hanmi Pharmaceutical and Celltrion will receive know-how in manufacturing Largevrio from Merck, and patent fees will be exempted until the WHO declares the end of the pandemic.

 

Among domestic companies, DongbangFTL, a raw material company, was also selected.

 

Under this contract, Hanmi Fine Chemical, a raw material drug company of Hanmi Pharmaceutical Group, will start producing raw materials for Largevrio.

 

The produced raw materials will be transferred to Hanmi Pharmaceutical's smart plant located in Paltan, Gyeonggi-do, and put into the production of finished drugs.

 

In the case of Celltrion, the development and production of Molnupiravir generic finished products will be handled by its affiliate Celltrion Pharmaceutical and supplied overseas by Celltrion.

 

Celltrion Pharmaceutical has launched a formulation study with the aim of completing product development by the end of this year.

 

Celltrion and Hanmi Pharmaceutical plan to produce generic for Largevrio and supply and sell them to some of the 105 underdeveloped countries.

 

MPP is a UN-supported non-profit medical organization that signed an agreement with MSD in October last year on the provision of patent licenses for Molnupiravir.

 

The contract between Hanmi Pharmaceutical and MPP was made in a surprise move in line with the aim of adding strength to the world's efforts to end COVID-19 by greatly increasing accessibility to underdeveloped countries.

 

Largevrio is RNA analog and is a drug that is inserted instead of normal ribonucleic acid necessary for the virus replication process to induce virus death.

 

Largevrio received EUA in the UK in November last year and was approved in the United States in December last year to administer it to patients who were unable to use "other approved COVID-19 treatments." Currently, the screening is being conducted in Korea.

 

The "COVID-19 Treatment/Vaccine Development Pan-Government Support Committee" under the MOHW began behind-the-scenes support for the selection of Korean pharmaceutical companies by conducting prior consultations with MPP for the domestic production of oral COVID-19 treatments since November last year.

 

In this regard, the government said it plans to continue to support the domestic production and global expansion of oral COVID treatments through corporate meetings.

 

An official from Hanmi Pharmaceutical said, "Hanmi's decision has begun to end the COVID-19 pandemic." He said, "We will do our best to start production as soon as possible in close consultation with MPP and MSD and quickly supply high-quality medicines to the world based on Korea and the United States' excellent drug manufacturing technology and production capabilities." An official from Celltrion Group said, "Through this license acquisition process, we were able to reaffirm that Celltrion Group's chemical drug production capacity and technology met global demand and standards, and at the same time were competitive."