Page 39 - Pharma Sector

Manipal Group likely to inject Rs 1,000 cr into PharmEasy for 18% stake

Omnichannel pharmacy chain in talks to raise ~2,400 cr: if successful, will be first fundraise by a unicorn at a discount

Biocon Biologics biosimilar available in US, to treat inflammatory diseases

Biocon Biologics, a subsidiary of Biocon, on Monday said its biosimilar to treat certain inflammatory diseases is now available in the US market. The company said HULIO (adalimumab) injection, a biosimilar to Humira (adalimumab), is now available to patients in the US after five years of experience in Europe and two years in Canada. "The launch of HULIO, our biosimilar adalimumab, in the US, is an important milestone for Biocon Biologics as it expands our well-known biosimilar product offering to patients in the US," Biocon Biologics CEO and MD Shreehas Tambe said in a statement. This launch builds on the company's strong presence in oncology and diabetes, he added.

Lupin receives US regulator's approval for Cyanocobalamin nasal spray

The nasal spray manufactured by Lupin is a generic version of Nascobal nasal spray

Lupin gets $25 mn from AbbVie for meeting key product development milestone

Drug firm Lupin on Thursday said it has received USD 25 million (around Rs 205 crore) from AbbVie Inc for meeting a key development milestone for a product to treat hematological cancers. The company has achieved a key milestone for its novel MALT1 (Mucosa-Associated Lymphoid Tissue Lymphoma Translocation Protein 1) inhibitor program that is partnered with AbbVie Inc towards treatment across a range of hematological cancers, the Mumbai-based drug maker said in a statement. As part of the agreement, Lupin has received USD 25 million from AbbVie for initiation of Phase 1 clinical studies successfully, it added. The drug maker had earlier received USD 30 million from AbbVie for achievement of other milestones in the programme. "This achievement is further validation of our ability to successfully develop novel treatments for unmet needs. We look forward to continued successful development of this important treatment for patients with difficult-to-treat cancers," Lupin Managing Directo

Akums gets nod for drug to treat epilepsy seizures in patients over 12 yrs

Contract manufacturing drug firm Akums Drugs & Pharmaceuticals on Tuesday said DCGI has approved its formulation to treat certain types of seizures in patients with epilepsy. The approval allows Perampanel Oral Suspension to serve as adjunctive therapy for the treatment of partial-onset seizures (POS) with or without secondarily generalised seizures, as well as primary generalised tonic-clonic (PGTC) seizures in patients with epilepsy aged 12 years and older in the country, the company said in a statement. The company's product is a bioequivalent formulation of the USFDA-approved Fycompa (perampanel) Oral Suspension. India has more than 10 million patients with epilepsy, as per the company. "We are excited about the approval of Perampanel Oral Suspension, as it provides another treatment option for patients with epilepsy who may have difficulty swallowing tablets or prefer liquids," Akums Drugs & Pharmaceuticals Joint Managing Director Sanjeev Jain stated. The newly-approved ..

First medicine designed by AI soon? Insilico Medicine begins human trials

The biotech firm has dosed a patient in China with its drug INS018_055 to treat the chronic lung disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Govt launches Nandi portal for granting NOC for veterinary drugs, vaccines

Union Minister Parshottam Rupala on Monday launched a Nandi portal to timely process applications and grant non-objection certification (NOC) for veterinary drugs and vaccines. The regulation of the import, manufacturing and marketing of veterinary drugs and vaccines comes under the purview of the Central Drug Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) under the Ministry of Health. However, permission for the import/manufacture of veterinary drugs, vaccines and biological are granted in consultation with the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. The present system is manual. "The Health Ministry gives final approval of drugs and vaccines. In the case of veterinary products, it cannot give without the NOC from us. Since granting of NOC was manual, delay/obstacle from our ministry was felt. So, the portal NANDI (NOC Approval for New Drug and Inoculation System) has been launched," the Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister said after the launch. This is a timely

Boehringer Ingelheim names Gagandeep Singh as head of India pharma biz

Drug firm Boehringer Ingelheim on Monday said it has appointed Gagandeep Singh as head of the pharma business vertical for the Indian market. The company has appointed Singh as Managing Director and Head of Human Pharma India with effect from July 10. He will also join the Board of Boehringer Ingelheim India, the company said in a statement. Boehringer Ingelheim has three business areas -- Human Pharma, Animal Health, and Biopharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing. "Gagandeep's passion for fostering a customer-focused culture and his experience across complex health ecosystems will be invaluable to the organisation as we continue to strengthen our strategic and sustainability commitment to India," Boehringer Ingelheim Regional Managing Director and Head of Human Pharma for India, Middle East, Turkey and Africa Mohammed Tawil noted. Singh joins Boehringer Ingelheim from AstraZeneca, where he was the Managing Director for India and Africa Cluster Head. He succeeds Vani Manja, who mov

Regulation largest barrier in pharma, cos should focus on quality: Official

Union Pharma Secretary S Aparna on Thursday said regulations are the biggest barrier to market access in the sector globally, and exhorted local companies to focus on quality. Delivering a video message at the Eighth Global Pharmaceutical Quality Summit, Aparna backed the focus on regulations given the need to have products which are safe and effective. Pharma is highly regulated globally, and regulations contribute the single largest barrier to market access, she said. Indian manufacturing sector has wide-ranging players and the quality culture has to be built across the range, she said. Aparna said Indian industry, which has a very large number of small and medium businesses, is essentially a generic market, and stressed the need to innovate as per changing disease profile and other factors. Indian pharmaceuticals have scale, cost and quality advantages which have enabled companies to make a mark and garner market share in all countries across the world. Cost competitiveness can

Bayer winds up business in Pak due to nation's weak economic condition

German pharmaceutical major Bayer on Thursday announced that it is winding up its business from Pakistan, giving another setback to the cash-strapped nation amidst its precarious economic situation, according to a media report. The decision by Bayer, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, came days after local employees of the multinational company held a protest demanding that the company pay them 60 to 100 months' salaries -- ostensibly at par with the company's termination policies elsewhere in the world, the Dawn News reported. "Bayer has decided to wind up its business from Pakistan," the report said. The management of the company said that the organisation's assets from its factory in Pakistan have been sold to a local company, which has assured existing employees of job security for at least two years. "Since these workers would continue to be employed, there was no call for severance packages to be handed out," the report said. Prior to Bayer, American .

India-made cold, cough medicines under WHO lens after nations flag concern

Reports of contaminated medicines came out in 2022 in The Gambia, with subsequent reports in Indonesia, Uzbekistan, and Micronesia; all the products under the scanner are syrup-based

Ajanta Pharma hits 52-week high on upbeat branded generic business outlook

The management is confident to scale up margins again in the coming years on the back of enhanced contribution from Branded Generics business and normalisation of freight costs

Cough syrup row: Zero tolerance on spurious medicines, says Mandaviya

71 companies have been issued show-cause notices following concerns raised in some quarters about reported deaths due to contaminated India-made cough syrups, 18 of them have been asked to shut shop

India made 'liquid cornea' to soon undergo human trials to treat blindness

After seeing about 80 per cent success in animal trials, a team of Indian doctors are soon set to launch human trials on the made in India 'liquid cornea' for people with corneal blindness

Zydus Lifesciences gets USFDA nod to mfg generic version of Varenicline

Zydus Lifesciences on Tuesday said it has received final approval from the US health regulator to manufacture and market the generic version of Varenicline tablets indicated to treat smoking addiction. The approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) is for Varenicline tablets of strengths 0.5 mg and 1 mg, Zydus said in a regulatory filing. The product will be launched shortly. It will be manufactured at the group's formulation manufacturing facility at Ahmedabad SEZ, India, it added. Varenicline tablets, 0.5 mg and 1 mg had annual sales of USD 501 million in the US, the company said citing IQVIA MAT March 2023 data.

BioNTech faces several lawsuits in Germany over Covid vaccine side effects

German drug company BioNTech is facing hundreds of lawsuits, worth one million euros, in country for alleged health damage due to its Covid-19 vaccine, co-developed with American pharma giant Pfizer

Quality check: India needs to restore faith in the 'world's pharmacy'

For more than a decade, it has been clear that too many medicine makers in India have not been doing their duty by their customers, here and abroad

In a first, Centre to review PLI scheme to sort out teething issues

Interactions with line ministries lined up to seek feedback

Pharmacists have finger on pulse of small towns as demand increases

The Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) is another major reason for the growth in demand for medicines in smaller towns

NPPA fixes retail prices of 23 drug, including diabetes, blood pressure

National drug pricing regulator NPPA on Friday said it has fixed retail prices of 23 formulations, including the medications to treat diabetes and high blood pressure. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has fixed the prices under the Drugs (Price Control) Order, 2013 based on the decision of 113th Authority meeting dated May 26, 2023. As per the notification, the NPPA has fixed the price of one tablet of diabetes drug Gliclazide ER and Metformin Hydrochloride tablets at Rs 10.03. Similarly, the retail price of one tablet of Telmisartan, Chlorthalidone & Cilnidipine tablets at Rs 13.17. The retail price of one tablet of pain reliever medication Trypsin, Bromelain, Rutoside Trihydrate and Diclofenac Sodium tablets has been fixed at Rs 20.51. The NPPA said it has also revised ceiling price of 15 scheduled formulations under Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013 (NLEM 2022). It has also fixed ceiling price of two scheduled formulations. Besides, it has fixed and revise