Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories has introduced the immuno-oncology drug Toripalimab in India under the brand name Zytorvi, specifically for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).
This launch follows a licensing and commercialization agreement signed last year with Shanghai Junshi Biosciences Co., granting Dr. Reddy’s exclusive rights to develop and market Toripalimab in 21 countries, including India, South Africa, Brazil, and several Latin American nations. The agreement also provides an option to expand the licensing scope to cover Australia, New Zealand, and nine additional countries.
With this rollout, India becomes the third country after China and the United States to access this next-generation PD-1 inhibitor, the company stated in a release on Thursday.
Toripalimab is a New Biological Entity and the only immuno-oncology therapy approved by regulatory authorities such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Medicines Agency, and the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for the treatment of adults with recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (RM-NPC).
As reported by thehindu, prior to Toripalimab’s launch, the standard treatment for RM-NPC in India was chemotherapy using gemcitabine and cisplatin. “The introduction of Toripalimab marks a major milestone for patients diagnosed with nasopharyngeal carcinoma in India, a rare type of head and neck cancer,” said M.V. Ramana, CEO of Branded Markets (India and Emerging Markets) at Dr. Reddy’s.
Oncology remains a priority therapeutic area for the company, and collaborations to deliver innovative treatments are central to its strategy. “Bringing Toripalimab to India within the same year of its U.S. launch is a significant achievement under our innovation agenda,” Mr. Ramana added.