Eli Lilly and Company has inked an agreement with EVA Pharma to expand access to baricitinib to an estimated 20,000 people in 49 low- to middle-income countries in Africa by 2030.

Discovered by Incyte and licensed to Lilly, baricitinib is for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, alopecia areata, atopic dermatitis, and COVID-19.

This collaboration is part of the Lilly 30x30 initiative, which aims to improve access to quality health care for 30 million people living in resource-limited settings annually by 2030.

"Our commitment to expanding access to affordable and innovative medicines for people living in low- to middle-income countries continues," said Ilya Yuffa, Executive Vice President and President of Lilly International.

"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, " said Yuffa.

"We are proud to localize the entire value chain of this critical medication on the continent, from producing high-potency baricitinib active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), to tackling complex manufacturing challenges," said Riad Armanious, CEO of EVA Pharma.

EVA Pharma's dedicated high-containment facility is set to begin sales of the locally manufactured baricitinib by 2026 to various African countries.

This collaboration announced today relies on both EVA's pan-African reach and its strong local manufacturing capabilities that meet global standards, enabling Lilly to reach more people in low- to middle-income countries.

Since 2021, EVA Pharma has been working with Lilly to ensure a sustainable supply of life-saving medicines across several African countries. Lilly and EVA Pharma are also collaborating to expand access to affordable insulin in 56 countries, most of which are low- to middle-income, as announced in 2022.