SAfrica's Aspen in $1 mln TB drugs deal with Eli Lilly

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Aspen Pharmacare, Africa's biggest generic drugmaker, has signed a $1 million agreement with Eli Lilly to manufacture generic versions of the U.S. firm's tuberculosis medicines.

Aspen said on Tuesday Eli Lilly would transfer its technology to Aspen for the production of two drugs that include capreomycin -- one of the few key treatment options for patients with multi-drug-resistant TB (MDR-TB).

Drug-resistant TB emerges when patients fail to follow treatment regimens and take substandard drugs or stop treatment too early.

South Africa ranks fourth in the world with 16,000 drug-resistant TB cases in 2007, after Russia with 43,000 cases. China has 112,000 cases while India has 112 cases and Bangladesh has 15,000 cases.

"This collaboration ensures patients in the region and globally will receive an uninterrupted supply of quality MDR-TB drugs," Iain Richardson, Eli Lilly's senior director of Global Supply Chain and Logistics said in statement.

Eli Lilly's partnership with Aspen is one of four similar collaborations it holds with Russia's SIA International, India's Shasun Chemicals and China's Hisun Pharmaceutical.