EVA Pharma and Eli Lilly’s Collaboration Revolutionizes Insulin Access in Africa
The Egyptian Drug Authority has granted approval for the insulin glargine injection produced by EVA Pharma, in partnership with Eli Lilly and Company. The collaboration, launched in 2022, is aimed at providing a sustainable supply of high-quality, affordable human and analog insulin to over one million individuals annually who are living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes in low- to middle-income countries, mainly in Africa.
This milestone signifies the first regulatory approval of EVA Pharma’s insulin products, following the announcement of the collaboration between Lilly and EVA Pharma in December 2022. As part of this agreement, Lilly has been supplying its active pharmaceutical ingredient for insulin to EVA Pharma at a significantly reduced cost and offering pro-bono technology transfer to enable EVA Pharma to formulate, fill, and finish insulin vials and cartridges.
In less than two years since the initial announcement, EVA Pharma has completed the construction of a new biologics manufacturing facility, finalized insulin formulations and stability testing processes, interacted with local regulatory authorities for the approval of the insulin glargine injection, and released the first batch of the locally manufactured insulin product.
Furthermore, EVA Pharma’s human insulin injection has also been submitted for local regulatory approval. Lilly and EVA Pharma are working with the World Health Organization (WHO) to obtain WHO pre-qualification for the locally manufactured human insulin injection, ensuring that the medicines meet the high-quality standards set by WHO.
Ilya Yuffa, Executive Vice President and President of Lilly International, expressed, “For over a century, Lilly has been a leader in diabetes care, offering innovative solutions that enhance the lives of people worldwide. Our collaboration with EVA Pharma reinforces our commitment to providing sustainable and accessible medicines globally. We will continue to collaborate with global health systems and industry partners to overcome healthcare barriers and expand equitable, affordable access to our medicines to positively impact more lives.”
Riad Armanious, CEO of EVA Pharma, remarked, “Localizing essential medicines is crucial for promoting equitable access to healthcare. It requires bold collaboration, cutting-edge innovation, and technology-driven manufacturing to bring this vision to fruition. Our partnership with Lilly demonstrates what can be achieved when we push boundaries together. This is just the beginning – we are on a path to positively impact over a million lives annually across 56 countries, making a real difference for individuals living with diabetes.”
This collaboration is part of the Lilly 30×30 initiative, which aims to enhance access to quality healthcare for 30 million individuals in resource-limited settings annually by 2030.
Recently, Lilly and EVA Pharma expanded their collaboration, announcing that Lilly will license specific baricitinib manufacturing know-how to enable EVA Pharma to produce and supply treatments for various immunological diseases across 56 low- to middle-income countries in Africa.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of EVA Pharma.
Media Contacts:
Karine Mendelek
mendelek_karine@lilly.com
+971553408407
(Lilly Media)
Michael Czapar
czapar_michael_c@lilly.com
317-617-0983
(Lilly Investors)
Ahmed Ellewa
ahmed.ellewa@evapharma.com
+20-1000-053-643
(EVA Pharma Media)
About Lilly:
Lilly is a medicine company turning science into healing to make life better for people around the world. We’ve been pioneering life-changing discoveries for nearly 150 years, and today our medicines help tens of millions of people across the globe. Harnessing the power of biotechnology, chemistry and genetic medicine, our scientists are urgently advancing new discoveries to solve some of the world’s most significant health challenges: redefining diabetes care; treating obesity and curtailing its most devastating long-term effects; advancing the fight against Alzheimer’s disease; providing solutions to some of the most debilitating immune system disorders; and transforming the most difficult-to-treat cancers into manageable diseases. With each step toward a healthier world, we’re motivated by one thing: making life better for millions more people. That includes delivering innovative clinical trials that reflect the diversity of our world and working to ensure our medicines are accessible and affordable. To learn more, visit www.Lilly.com and https://apo-opa.co/41yTHKj, or follow us on Facebook (https://apo-opa.co/4fpu7dM), Instagram (https://apo-opa.co/4011yOv), and LinkedIn (https://apo-opa.co/41GZ5ej). I-LLY
About EVA Pharma:
EVA Pharma is dedicated to improving access to affordable, high-quality medicines around the world, focusing on three core pillars: innovation, development, and sustainable access. The company leverages cutting-edge technology at two research centers bringing first-of-its-kind capabilities to the Middle East and Africa, including mRNA research and development from AI prediction to biological products.
With a team of 5,000 professionals, EVA Pharma produces over one million healthcare products daily at four state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, internationally recognized for innovation and approved by multiple regulatory agencies.
Driven by a relentless commitment to ensuring sustainable access to critical yet unmet disease areas, the company’s product portfolio covers twelve therapeutic areas: Anti-infectives, metabolic health, bone, neuroscience, oncology, respiratory, gynecology, urology and andrology, pediatrics, ophthalmology, gastrointestinal tract, and family medicine to meet both local and international demand.
EVA Pharma is one of the fastest-growing healthcare companies in the Middle East and Africa, with a significant pan-African presence, operating in over 70 countries worldwide.
For more information, please visit: www.EVAPharma.com and https://apo-opa.co/4gimRSu, or follow us on Facebook (https://apo-opa.co/3VJmyYz), LinkedIn (https://apo-opa.co/41KhFlE), and Instagram (https://apo-opa.co/3VHxS7F).
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:
This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning Lilly’s collaboration with EVA Pharma and reflects Lilly’s current beliefs and expectations. However, there can be no assurance that Lilly’s collaboration with EVA Pharma will achieve its objectives or that Lilly will execute its strategy as planned. For further discussion of risks and uncertainties relevant to Lilly’s business that could cause actual results to differ from Lilly’s expectations, see Lilly’s Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Lilly undertakes no duty to update forward-looking statements to reflect events after the date of this release, except as required by law.
