Natco launches cut price versions of cancer drug ibrutinib in india

Hyderabad-based Natco PharmaNSE -0.01 % has launched a cut price version of ibrutinib, an anti-cancer drug, under its own brand name Ibrunat. The patent for the drug is held by Pharmacyclics for three to four more years in India. Pharmacyclics was globally acquired by US giant AbbVie in 2015 in a massive USD21 billion deal. In India, the marketing right for ibrutinib is held by Johnson & Johnson. Ibrutinib is used to treat patients with leukemia and similar other indications of cancer.
A Natco official confirmed its launch but refused to divulge more details. It is learnt that the Indian drug maker has already dispatched the drug in distribution channels. The Natco drug will cost at approximately INR 38000 per month as opposed to INR 4 lakh course of the innovator. A patient is expected to take 4 tablets each day.
Sources informed ET that Pharmacyclics had filed for an injunction petition in Delhi High Court but no clear decision was handed out. Natco was directed to maintain data for its inventory and stocks sold.
Natco's latest move is consistent with its earlier launches and challenging the patents held on anti-cancer drugs by multinational drug companies. In July this year, the Delhi High Court had dismissed an injunction plea by Bayer to halt Natco from selling copies of its brand of regorafenib. Bayer's products in three versions, marketed since 2013 in India, were priced at INR36000 to INR40000 per bottle of 28 tablets, while Natco's product was made available at INR9000 per bottle.


Source:https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/healthcare/biotech/pharmaceuticals/natco-launches-cut-price-versions-of-cancer-drug-ibrutinib-in-india/articleshow/72894811.cms

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

EMA validates Incyte’s MAA for retifanlimab to treat metastatic squamous cell anal carcinoma

Incyte, global biopharmaceutical company, announced the validation of the Company’s Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for retifanlimab, an intravenous PD-1 inhibitor, as a potential treatment for adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic squamous cell anal carcinoma (SCAC) who have progressed on, or who are intolerant of, platinum-based chemotherapy. The European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) validation of the MAA confirms that the submission is sufficiently complete to begin the formal review process. “While the incidence of SCAC is increasing in Europe, treatment options for advanced disease are limited in their effectiveness, and there are no approved options once patients have progressed on standard therapy,” said Lance Leopold, M.D., Group vice president, Immuno-Oncology Clinical Development, Incyte. “The EMA validation of the MAA for retifanlimab – which follows the recent US Food & Drug Administration acceptance of our Biologics License Application for Priority R...
Read more

Tumour-targeting drug paves way for bone cancer treatment

 The treatment of osteosarcoma, the most common tumour of bone, is challenging, but a new study is offering hope to the patients with this disease. The study led by The University of  Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre  found that a drug, known as bone metastasis-targeting peptidomimetic (BMTP-11), has potential as a new therapeutic strategy for this devastating illness. Results from the preclinical study looked at BMTP-11 alone and in combination with the chemotherapy agent gemcitabine. Although osteosarcoma is a relatively rare cancer, it is a leading disease-related cause of death in children and young adults ages 10 to 20. However, over the last 25 years, the five-year survival rate has remained unchanged, and the treatment options for these patients are few. In addition, the side effects of available treatment options often are significant and cumulative, and may cause other health problems and damage to major organs. "What's novel about this treatment is that...
Read more

Merck’s Keytruda plus platinum- and fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy receives US FDA nod to treat certain patients with locally advanced/metastatic esophageal or GEJ carcinoma

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Keytruda, Merck’s anti-PD-1 therapy, for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic esophageal or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) (tumors with epicenter 1 to 5 centimeters above the GEJ) carcinoma that is not amenable to surgical resection or definitive chemoradiation in combination with platinum- and fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy. The approval is based on results from the phase 3 KEYNOTE-590 trial, which demonstrated significant improvements in overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) and objective response rate (ORR) for Keytruda plus fluorouracil (FU) and cisplatin versus FU and cisplatin alone, regardless of histology or PD-L1 expression status. For OS and PFS, Keytruda plus FU and cisplatin reduced the risk of death by 27% (HR=0.73 [95% CI, 0.62-0.86]; p<0.0001) and reduced the risk of disease progression or death...
Read more