GSK India re-enters oncology segment with launch of Jemperli and Zejula

GSK India has launched Jemperli and Zejula for gynaecological cancers, marking its return to oncology a decade after divesting its portfolio to Novartis

GSK India has re-entered the oncology segment with the launch of two precision therapies — Jemperli (dostarlimab) and Zejula (niraparib) — targeting gynaecological cancers as part of its strategy to expand its specialty medicines portfolio. This marks GSK’s return to the cancer care segment after it sold its oncology portfolio to Novartis around a decade ago.

 

GSK’s stock price gained in morning trade but ended the day marginally lower at Rs 2,797.3 apiece.

 

Bhushan Akshikar, managing director, GSK India, said, “It’s a standing start for us, as we currently have no presence in oncology. The patient landscape shows substantial potential, particularly in ovarian cancer. As a Rs 4,000 crore company, our aim has always been for at least 10 per cent of revenues to come from new growth platforms, and oncology will be a key driver in building this new revenue stream.”

 

Earlier in 2014, Glaxo sold its oncology business to Novartis in a swap deal worth over $20 billion, which included Novartis’ vaccine business moving to GSK. At the time of the divestment, GSK’s oncology portfolio was valued at Rs 140 crore.

 

India records around 48,000 new ovarian cancer cases annually, with one of the highest mortality rates. For endometrial cancer, around 19,000–20,000 new cases emerge every year. By 2045, the incidence of endometrial and ovarian cancers in India is projected to increase by 78 per cent and 69 per cent, respectively.

 

The company said Jemperli is the country’s first approved PD-1 immunotherapy for second-line treatment of advanced endometrial cancer, while Zejula is the only once-daily oral PARP inhibitor cleared as first-line maintenance therapy in advanced ovarian cancer across all biomarker types. Other PD-1 immunotherapy drugs include Merck’s Keytruda and Bristol Myers Squibb’s Opdivo.

 

Akshikar declined to share pricing details of the drugs but said they are competitively priced compared with existing therapies. GSK added that the required treatment cycles are fewer than existing options. For Jemperli, a patient requires 11 cycles compared with 17–18 cycles for other immunotherapies, reducing hospital visits by six to seven sessions.

 

The company has also rolled out its ‘Phoenix’ patient support programme to drive access and affordability, as it seeks to establish oncology as a new growth pillar alongside vaccines and respiratory medicines.

 

 

 

GSK India said its existing 45-acre manufacturing facility in Nashik is focused on general medicines and primary care, and the newly launched oncology therapies will not be manufactured locally at this stage. The company will import the products, citing limited patient volumes, established global supply chains, and the specialised nature of monoclonal antibody production. Local manufacturing could be explored in the future once the oncology business scales up.

 

 

 

Already marketed in over 40 countries, both therapies are positioned to tap into India’s rising cancer burden, with the incidence of endometrial and ovarian cancers projected to grow significantly by 2045.