Has Gilead approached Beximco to make remdesivir as well or does the least developed countries (LDC) WTO transitional period to enforce intellectual property rights on medicines mean that Bangladesh firms can go ahead and manufacture the product?

BEXIMCO: Gilead has not approached Beximco Pharma for remdesivir yet. So far we are doing this on our own. However, we may contact Gilead for their license to manufacture this product for Bangladesh market. Based on the LDC WTO transitional period, IP rights on medicines are not enforced in Bangladesh and pharma companies in Bangladesh can manufacture this product for local consumption without infringing the patent.

Does Beximco hope to supply the product to other LDC nations/rest of the world markets or is the Bangladesh market the core priority?

BEXIMCO: Serving the people in Bangladesh is our core priority. At present we are not exploring export opportunities. However, if we or our government receive requests from other LDCs or other countries, we will discuss that with relevant authorities.

What about pricing – would it be in the range of $59-$71/per vial initially as suggested in some reports and if volumes surge can this be lowered?

BEXIMCO: As per local regulatory regulation, for each medicine the government gives the maximum retail price. However, when we will supply this medicine to the government, pricing model will be different. We will also continuously look for opportunities to lower price based on API [active pharmaceutical ingredient] costs and volume produced (based on demand).

Gilead Remdesivir Production: Partnering, Licensing Concerns And Beximco’s Plans

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