April 27 Quick Takes: Merck, Gilead move to expand access to COVID-19 antivirals; plus Exscientia-Softbank, Lilly, Aldeyra, LogicBio, Canbridge, Daiichi, Ultivue, Provention

Initiatives by Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK) and  Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) will expand availability of the companies’ antivirals in India as the country’s COVID-19 crisis continues.

Gilead is providing its seven Indian licensing partners with technical assistance, support for new manufacturing facilities and donated API to scale up production of Veklury remdesivir. The company is also donating at least 450,000 vials of Veklury to India. Gilead’s global licensing program for the therapy provides royalty-free licenses to nine companies to support access in 127 countries...