Sun Pharmaceutical Industries has announced that one of its wholly-owned subsidiaries has entered into an exclusive patent licensing agreement with Denmark-based H Lundbeck (Lundbeck) to market and distribute its version of Vortioxetine in India under the brand name, VORTIDIF. The territory of the licensing agreement will only cover India.

Vortioxetine is a novel antidepressant with multimodal activity, which is approved to treat Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in adults. The product is approved in over 80 countries, including the US, the EU, Canada and Australia.

MDD is one of the leading cause of disability, affecting approximately 246 million people globally and 35 million people in India. MDD is characterised by pronounced changes in mood coupled with distinct psychological and vegetative changes, including sleep, appetite disturbance, subjective fatigue, loss of motivation and drive, ruminative feelings of guilt and despair, problems maintaining mental focus, and suicidal thinking and behaviour.