Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories will expand its partnership with Sanofi Healthcare India (SHIPL) by launching the latter’s novel drug Beyfortus (nirsevimab) in India.
Containing monoclonal antibody nirsevimab in a prefilled injection, Beyfortus is used for prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) in newborns and infants born during or entering their first RSV season.
Dr. Reddy’s will get exclusive rights from SHIPL to promote and distribute Beyfortus. The announcement follows an exclusive distribution partnership it had forged for Sanofi portfolio of vaccines in India last year. Beyfortus is expected to be launched in the second quarter of the current fiscal year, the Hyderabad-based pharma major said.
RSV is a highly contagious virus that can lead to serious respiratory illness for infants. In addition to being the most common cause of LRTD such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia in infants, it is also a leading cause of hospitalisation in infants worldwide, with most hospitalisations occurring in healthy infants born at term. In 2019, there were approximately 33 million cases of acute lower respiratory infections globally, leading to more than 3 million hospitalisations, and it was estimated that there were 26,300 in-hospital deaths of children younger than 5 years, Dr.Reddy’s said in a release.
Launch of Beyfortus will help strengthen its immunisation portfolio in India, CEO-Branded Markets (India and Emerging Markets) M.V. Ramana said.
Beyfortus, which has been approved for use in the EU, the U.S., China, Japan and many other countries, received marketing authorisation approval in India from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) in June.
“In India, where the disease burden is significant and early protection is critical, this collaboration with Dr. Reddy’s enables us to reach parents and healthcare providers with an innovative solution,” Head of Sanofi Vaccines (India) Nitya Padmanabhan said.
