Dr Reddy's gets exclusive right to distribute UCB's epilepsy drug in India

Dr Reddy's Laboratories Limited and Belgian bio-pharmaceutical company UCB announced on Monday that they have entered into a distribution and co-promotion agreement for Briviact, a brand of epilepsy drug Brivaracetam. The agreement grants Dr Reddy's the exclusive right to distribute Briviact in India.

"In our endeavour to make innovative medicines accessible to patients in India and we are excited to partner with UCB India for Briviact, a novel treatment for epilepsy that will make a difference to the lives of patients living with epilepsy," M V Ramana CEO, Branded Markets at Dr Reddy's said. 

The companies did not reveal the financial details of the deal.

Briviact is approved as an adjunctive therapy for the treatment of partial-onset seizures in epilepsy patients who are 16 years of age and older.

"We know that as many as one-third of people with epilepsy are currently uncontrolled on their existing medicines. This partnership is another important step towards us providing value together to patients by making Briviact available as an additional treatment choice for epilepsy," said Max Bricchi, head of international markets at UCB Neurology Patient Value Unit said.

This is not the first time the two companies have entered into a business tie-up. Dr Reddy's had earlier acquired a select portfolio of drug products from the Belgian company in India, Nepal, Srilanka and Maldives for Rs 8 billion in 2015. While these products were in therapy areas of dermatology, respiratory and paediatrics, the new marketing tie-up extends to neurology, a focus area of UCB.

Epilepsy is the second most common neurological condition and according to a recent study, an estimated 70 million people suffer from it worldwide. There are over 12 million people suffering from epilepsy in India, which contributes to nearly one-sixth of the global burden, according to a press release.