Zydus and Dr. Reddy's announce licensing agreement for co‐marketing of Pertuzumab biosimilar

Zydus Lifesciences Limited (including its subsidiaries/affiliates hereafter referred to as "Zydus") a discovery-driven global lifesciences company and Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd., (BSE: 500124 | NSE: DRREDDY | NYSE: RDY | NSEIFSC: DRREDDY, along with its subsidiaries hereafter referred to as "Dr. Reddy's"), a global pharmaceutical company, announced the execution of a licensing agreement to co-market Pertuzumab biosimilar in India. Pertuzumab is a critical treatment for HER2 positive breast cancer patients. The biosimilar has been developed in-house by the research team at the Zydus Research Centre (ZRC).

Under the terms of this agreement, Dr. Reddy's will receive semi-exclusive rights from Zydus to co-market the product in India. The product will be marketed by Zydus under the brand name Sigrima™. Dr. Reddy's will market it under the brand name Womab®. Zydus will receive upfront licensing income and is eligible to receive milestone income based on achievement of pre-defined milestones.

Speaking on the development, spokesperson from Zydus Lifesciences Ltd., said, "Our basket of cancer care therapies which includes cytotoxic, supportive and targeted drugs, has had a significant impact on patient survival and the quality of life. We are committed to providing comprehensive care for HER2-positive patients and with the launch of this critical drug, we will be offering all the three essential drugs, SigrimaTM, Pertuzumab biosimilar, VivitraTM the largest selling trastuzumab biosimilar and UjviraTM the world's first antibody drug conjugate biosimilar of trastuzumab emtansine. Together, these treatments represent a significant advancement in HER2-targeted therapy. We are pleased to join hands with Dr. Reddy's to expand the access to this novel medicine."

Spokesperson from Dr. Reddy's, said, "Oncology is a key therapy area for us, and we are working to offer a diverse portfolio of offerings from standard of care, innovations in formulations, access to novel medicines and beyond-the-pill initiatives. We are happy to collaborate with Zydus to make this breast cancer drug available to patients in India. HER2 positive breast cancer patients require access to a combination of Trastuzumab and Pertuzumab, along with chemotherapy. We already offer biosimilar Trastuzumab (Hervycta®). With this product, we will be able to provide the complete standard of care to HER2 positive breast cancer patients in India."

Human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) is a protein that makes cells grow and divide. Some cancers have large amounts of HER2 protein and are known as HER2-positive cancers. These cancers tend to spread fast if not treated optimally. There is an estimate of over 2,30,000 new cases of breast cancer in 2025 and around 25% of these can be HER2-positive. Pertuzumab is an anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody (mAB) and it works by locking onto HER2 on the cancer cells, supressing HER2-mediated cell proliferation. Pertuzumab is recommended for both early and late stage HER2-positive breast cancers in combination with other drugs such as trastuzumab and chemotherapy. Its addition helps in different ways like shrinking the cancerous tumour, making the surgery less extensive, conserving the breast tissue, delaying the cancer coming back, halting the cancer spread, increasing the lifespan etc. Every HER2 positive patient needs to have access to combination of Trastuzumab and Pertuzumab, however, less than 5% patients have access to the same. With the launch of Pertuzumab in India, many more patients in need can benefit from the access to combination therapy.

Shares of Zydus Lifesciences Limited was last trading in BSE at Rs. 1074.35 as compared to the previous close of Rs. 1057.85. The total number of shares traded during the day was 212903 in over 6755 trades.

The stock hit an intraday high of Rs. 1084.45 and intraday low of 1058.45. The net turnover during the day was Rs. 229273769.00.

Shares of Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Limited was last trading in BSE at Rs. 6405.75 as compared to the previous close of Rs. 6239.55. The total number of shares traded during the day was 45349 in over 8632 trades.

The stock hit an intraday high of Rs. 6423.00 and intraday low of 6250.00. The net turnover during the day was Rs. 289603557.00.

Source : Equity Bulls

Keywords

ZydusLifesciences INE010B01027 532321 DrReddysLaboratories INE089A01023 LicensingAgreement Comarketing Pertuzumab Biosimilar India