To expand the drug’s access, Gilead Sciences said this week it had signed non-exclusive licensing pacts with five generic drug-makers based in India and Pakistan, allowing them to make and sell remdesivir for 127 countries.

But health access groups claim the pacts mean cheaper forms of the drug may not become available in nations seen as non-profitable to the five drug-makers.

Remdesivir is the only drug approved to treat Covid-19 patients after promising early trial results prompted US regulators to grant emergency use authorisation on May 2.

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