Drugs Launch In India

HYDERABAD, India--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. (NYSE: RDY) today announced that it has entered into a strategic collaboration with Amgen – one of the world’s leading independent biotechnology companies – to market and distribute three Amgen medicines in India in the areas of oncology and cardiology. Under the terms of the collaboration, Dr. Reddy’s shall perform a full range of regulatory and commercial services to seek approval and launch Kyprolis® (carfilzomib), BLINCYTO® (blinatumomab) and Repatha™ (evolocumab) in India. The collaboration leverages the capabilities of both companies, combining three of Amgen’s innovative therapies with Dr. Reddy’s deep understanding of patient and physician needs in India.

NEW DELHI: US biopharmaceutical giant Merck, Sharpe and Dohme (MSD) has launched its blockbuster cancer drug ‘Keytruda’ (pembrolizumab) in India around a year after it first received approvals to market it, said persons aware of the development. The drug has so far only been approved here for a less prevalent type of cancer, while it is marketed in countries like the US to treat additional indications like a specific kind of lung cancer.

Keytruda, hailed as a ‘game-changer’ therapy in oncology, is expected to help the immune system identify and selectively combat only cancerous cells instead of aggressively attacking cancer cells and risking healthy tissues in the process like existing therapies. The drug generated global sales of $1.4 billion during 2016.