The global medicines company Novartis has committed to donating up to 130 million doses of generic hydroxychloroquine to support the COVID-19 pandemic response.
Hydroxychloroquine, in addition to chloroquine, is currently under evaluation in clinical trials for COVID-19 treatment. Novartis is supporting ongoing clinical trial efforts and evaluating needs for additional clinical trials.
The Novartis donation of up to 130 million 200 mg doses is expected to occur by the end of May, officials said, including its current stock of 50 million 200 mg doses. The company is also exploring capacity scaling to increase supply – committed to working with manufacturers around the world to meet global demand.
Novartis will collaborate with the World Health Organization to determine the best medication distribution to ensure broad access to patients most in need of the medication.
The company also anticipates working closely with other manufacturers to increase production of hydroxychloroquine as a means of supporting global supply while encouraging industry, governments, and international institutions to ensure adequate global supply of medications to treat COVID-19 patients.
The company previously announced commitments of a $20 million Novartis COVID-19 Response Fund, drug discovery collaboration efforts, and supporting clinical trials for existing Novartis medicines, officials said.