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Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories expands its strategic partnership with Sanofi Healthcare India Private Limited (SHIPL) to introduce a novel drug, Beyfortus® (nirsevimab), in India.
Beyfortus® contains the monoclonal antibody, nirsevimab, in a prefilled injection used for the prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) in newborns and infants born during or entering their first RSV season. It is also administered in children up to 24 months of age, who remain vulnerable to severe RSV disease through their second RSV season.
Under the arrangement, Dr. Reddy’s will have exclusive rights from SHIPL to promote and distribute Beyfortus® (nirsevimab) in India.
This announcement follows Dr. Reddy’s successful exclusive distribution partnership with Sanofi for their portfolio of vaccines in India last year. Dr. Reddy’s is expected to launch Beyfortus® in India in the second quarter of the current fiscal year.
RSV is a highly contagious virus that can lead to serious respiratory illness for infants. In 2019, there were approximately 33 million cases of acute lower respiratory infections globally, leading to more than 3 million hospitalizations, and it was estimated that there were 26,300 in-hospital deaths of children younger than 5 years.
Beyfortus® has been approved for use in the European Union, the US, China, Japan, and many other countries around the world. In India, Beyfortus® received its marketing authorisation approval in June last year from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO).
