PHARMA LITERATI

     Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. is the first Indian drugmaker to win an approval to supply a key drug to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in China after the world’s second-largest pharma market asked manufacturers to submit bids to supply commonly used generic medications to hospitals across the East Asian nation.      India’s second-largest drugmaker by revenue bagged the rights to supply Olanzapine in China. Its bid was at a 35 percent discount to the drug’s current prevailing price and it will supply the product to public hospitals in several provinces, including Zhejiang, Hunan and Guangxi, brokerages including Nomura Holdings Inc. and Jefferies Group LLC said citing a media report of Chinese news agency Caixin.      China had rolled out a bulk drug procurement programme to drive down prices and provide better access to quality drugs and treatment to its population. The country is importing more drugs and speeding up appr...

The Medicine Maker recently published an interview of  Abhijit Mukherjee, Chief Operating Officer at Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories. We bring the same for our readers. How did your career begin? When I graduated from Engineering School in India during the 1980s, I didn’t have a specific career plan, but my family were keen for me to get working. At the time, the job market was dominated by a few large multinational companies – the main choices were either ICI or Unilever. I joined the latter as a management trainee in a very technical job (working with aroma chemicals and detergents), but it gave me the opportunity to work in different countries. Unilever did not encourage superficial learning, but rather the importance of going into the details. It was an important phase of my career – the early days are always a key learning experience. And working hard back then was always very much appreciated (not always the case today) . How did you transition to a business role? ...

Since such products cost far more to develop, investments are mostly made by top drug makers such as Sun Pharma, Dr Reddy’s and Lupin Indian pharmaceutical companies have increased research and development (R&D) investments in lucrative specialty drugs and complex generics, as greater competition and lower margins eat into their bread-and-butter generics business. Since such products cost far more to develop, investments are mostly made by top drug makers such as Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd and Lupin Ltd . R&D spending at all these companies has risen over the past three years. Benefits from a so-called patent cliff (when patents on many drugs expired, creating opportunities for Indian generic-drug firms in the US) petered out in 2014, while pricing pressure and compliance issues have risen since then, creating a sense of urgency. Consolidation in the distribution channel has added to pricing woes. “ Price erosion in single...

Therapeutic proteins (biosimilars) manufactured from natural sources and providing solutions for several unmet clinical needs are the next big thing in India. Adoption, growing investment and deal making in the global arena has got several Indian companies tuning in to biosimilars, reports The Pharma Letter’s India correspondent. Though the high price of biologic therapies is a great burden on healthcare costs globally and a majority of patients in India still cannot afford these drugs, Indian drug majors are stepping up investments to tap the growing opportunities overseas. While Cipla recently signed a memorandum of understanding to set up South Africa's first biosimilars manufacturing facility at a cost of nearly $91 million, Intas Pharma is gearing up for US approval for its Neulasta (pegfilgrastim) biosimilar this year. Amgen’s Neulasta is the company's second largest selling white blood cell boosting medicine, and reportedly brought in sales of $1.15 bill...

Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd on Wednesday said that it had entered into a strategic collaboration with Gland Pharma , a globally recognized developer and manufacturer of sterile dosage forms, to market and distribute a diverse portfolio of eight injectable Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDAs) in the US market. The portfolio is a mix of filed ANDAs pending approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) and ANDAs that will be filed imminently, and comprised of generic injectables administered in hospitals and clinics in the US. The combined sale of branded and generic versions of the products in the US is nearly $1 billion for the most recent 12 months ending August 2016, according to IMS Health. " Dr Reddy's Laboratories has a strong track record in developing, marketing and distributing generic injectables in the US. Our strengths, combined with Gland's track record of manufacturing and operational excellence, will help bring aff...

Dr Reddy’s Foundation on Tuesday launched a new skill development initiative called GROW to impart skills to youth including those with disabilities. Under the new model designed to be more impactful and self-sustainable, DRF has inaugurated 110 centres across the country. Launching the initiative, Dr Reddy’s Chairman Satish Reddy said that innovation is the key to keeping pace with the fast-changing needs of the skilling ecosystem. “ GROW, with its new approach, is a natural corollary to our Livelihood Advancement Business School (LABS). When LABS was launched in 2000, it was a pioneering effort and trained more than three lakh students. I am sure GROW will take this mission forward ,” he said. GROW, born out of DRF’s long experience and research to match present and future market needs for skilled workers, will address the complex problem of youth unemployment through a placement-linked skill development program, DRF said in a statement. The programme adopts a...