Dishman gets licence from J&J to produce TB drug raw material

Dishman Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals today said it has received a licence from Johnson & Johnson (J&J) to manufacture raw material for a drug used in the treatment of multi drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB).
The company holds a licence agreement from Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, one of the pharma companies of Johnson & Johnson, to produce the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) of Sirturo a drug used in the treatment of multi drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), Dishman Pharma said in a regulatory filing.
"We are extremely proud of the responsibility entrusted to our team and the important role we are able to play in combating MDR-TB," Dishman Chairman JR Vyas said.

The company is working diligently to support Janssen in addressing the demand for Sirturo (bedaquiline) in high burden TB areas, he added.
In 2008, Janssen had contracted Dishman to conduct full chemical synthesis of the API at their manufacturing facility in Bavla, Gujarat.
Janssen subsequently registered Dishman as a maker of API with the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), European Medicines Agency (EMA) and several other Asian regulatory authorities.

Recently, Dishman has started supplying Janssen with this API.
TB is a major concern in India with an estimated 2.8 million cases of the disease. Around 64,000 people have been diagnosed with MDR-TB in the country so far.

Dishman shares today ended at Rs 306.95 apiece on the BSE, up 16.22 per cent from previous close.