Dr. Reddy’s Partners with Sanofi Healthcare India to Distribute Vaccines

Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, a pharmaceutical company located in Hyderabad, India, announced on March 27, 2024 that it has entered into a partnership with Sanofi Healthcare India Private Limited to exclusively distribute Sanofi’s vaccine brands in India, including its pediatric and adult brands Hexaxim, Pentaxim, Tetraxim, Menactra, FluQuadri, Adacel, and Avaxim 80U. Sanofi retains ownership and will manufacture and import the vaccines into India.

“Vaccine confidence has reached its highest in India in the last few years. Yet, there is much to be done for the rest of the country’s large unvaccinated cohort. To fulfill our long-term commitment to India and expand our geographic reach, we’re pleased to partner with Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories (Dr. Reddy’s) for exclusive distribution and promotion. We’re confident this partnership will further bolster our promise of saving millions of lives against vaccines preventable diseases with improved vaccination coverage,” said Preeti Futnani, general manager India for Vaccines, Sanofi, in a press release.

“We are happy to have the opportunity to leverage our strengths in promotion and distribution to considerably expand engagement with healthcare professionals and help widen access of Sanofi’s well-established and trusted vaccine brands in India,” said M.V. Ramana, chief executive officer, Branded Markets (India and Emerging Markets), Dr. Reddy’s, in the press release. “We continue our efforts to become the partner of choice in bringing novel, innovative and trusted drugs to patients in India through strategic collaborations. The portfolio now gives Dr. Reddy’s a strong presence in the vaccine segment, propelling us to the second position among vaccines players in India. Through each product and partnership, our aim is to serve over 1.5 billion patients by 2030.”

In addition to the Sanofi partnership, on March 22, 2024, Dr. Reddy’s announced it has entered into a licensing agreement with United States biopharmaceutical company, Pharmazz, for the commercialization of the company’s first-in-class innovative drug, Centhaquine, in India. Centhaquine is a resuscitative agent that treats hypovolemic shock. Dr. Reddy’s will have exclusive rights to market and distribute the drug, under the brand name Lyfaquin, in India. Pharmazz will receive upfront payments and royalties (1).

“The partnership with Pharmazz and launch of this first-in-class drug marks the latest in our effort to enter into strategic collaborations to bring novel molecules to India to meet genuine unmet patient needs,” said Ramana in a press release. “The clinical studies for Lyfaquin have demonstrated significantly better and promising outcomes, making it as a potential add-on drug in the management of hypovolemic shock and enhancing the current standard of care for its treatment in India.”

Anil Gulati, inventor, CEO, and chairman of the Board of Directors of Pharmazz, said in the release, “India's emergence as a hub for developing and introducing innovative medicines is a remarkable achievement. It reflects the country's growing capabilities in research and development within the pharmaceutical sector. It is a large step for Pharmazz to partner with Dr. Reddy's, a leading global pharmaceutical company from India. For patients with hypovolemic shock, I believe Dr. Reddy's is the best partner for Pharmazz to market Centhaquine, an innovative, first-in-class novel resuscitative agent, in India."

Reference

1. Dr. Reddy’s. Dr. Reddy's and Pharmazz, Inc. Enter into Licensing Agreement to Market First-in-Class Centhaquine (Lyfaquin®) for Hypovolemic Shock in India. Press Release. March 22, 2024.

Source: Dr. Reddy’s