Ugandan pharmaceutical manufacturer,Quality Chemical Industries Limited (Qcil) signs a major deal with the Medicines Patent Pool to manufacture a generic single-dose flu medicine (baloxavir marboxil) for 129 countries.
The agreement was announced in New York at a side event of the United Nations General Assembly organised by MPP and supported by Swiss drugmaker Roche, according to a statement Qcil released in Kampala.
Qcil said it will carry out the product development, manufacturing and regulatory work itself, and that supply will begin only after the required development, quality and regulatory standards have been met. The company did not give a timeline.
The sublicence falls under a voluntary licence that MPP and Roche signed in May 2026, which allows selected generic manufacturers to produce and supply baloxavir marboxil in 129 low- and middle-income countries.
Under that licence, Roche will provide sublicensees, through MPP, with a foundational data package, reference products for bioequivalence studies and the necessary regulatory waivers, the statement said.
Baloxavir marboxil stops influenza viruses from multiplying early in an infection. According to Qcil, it is recommended in the World Health Organization’s clinical practice guidelines for influenza and has been approved by the European Medicines Agency and the United States Food and Drug Administration. Approved uses and eligible age groups vary by country.
Qcil cited results from the phase III CENTERSTONE trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The company said the trial showed that giving an infected person a single oral dose reduced the odds of the virus spreading to household contacts by 32% compared with a placebo. It added that the medicine works against influenza strains that are resistant to some other classes of antivirals.
“This sublicence gives Qcil an opportunity to apply its manufacturing and regulatory experience to an important influenza treatment for low- and middle-income countries,” said Ajay Kumar Pal, the chief executive of Qcil.
“Working with MPP, and with support from Roche under the voluntary licence, we will now begin the development work required for a quality-assured generic version,” he said.
Pal said the partnership could widen access to treatment and strengthen manufacturing capacity in Africa and preparedness for future influenza outbreaks.
Qcil, a publicly listed company established in 2005, makes WHO-prequalified medicines for HIV and malaria and supplies them in Uganda and other African markets.
MPP is a United Nations-backed public health organisation that licenses patented health products to generic manufacturers for use in low- and middle-income countries. It was founded by Unitaid, which remains its main funder.
Quality Chemical Industries Limited (QCIL) has stayed in business for 20 years by focusing on local amanufactruring of essential ,affordable and world health organisation pre-qualified medicines tailored to Africa’s biggest public health needs.
Early and rigorous alignment with global standards has allowed QCIL to become a trusted supplier, gaining regulatory approvals across more than 30 African countries
Tight financial management, cost controls, and ongoing investments into new production lines—such as pediatric HIV medicines and upcoming facilities for tuberculosis (TB) treatments—have kept the company competitive against cheap Asian imports and fluctuating donor funds
