Dr. Reddy’s, Prestige BioPharma partner for cancer drug

Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories has formed a partnership with Prestige BioPharma under which it will have exclusive rights to sell and market the Singapore company’s proposed trastuzumab biosimilar in Latin America and Southeast Asia.

Prestige BioPharma’s trastuzumab (HD201) is a proposed biosimilar to Roche’s Herceptin. It can be prescribed for treatment of HER2 positive breast and metastatic gastric cancer, the two companies said in a release on a binding agreement they have signed.

CEO Lisa S. Park said the partnership with Dr. Reddy’s is for key Latin American and Southeast Asian markets. “Dr. Reddy’s is the ideal partner to commercialise our lead biosimilar in these territories. With the collaboration, we look forward to further strengthening value of our biosimilar programmes in global markets,” she said.

The license agreement grants Dr. Reddy’s exclusive rights to commercialise the proposed biosimilar in the select countries. Under their partnership, Prestige BioPharma will be responsible for sustainable commercial supply of HD201 from its manufacturing facilities in Osong, South Korea, while Dr. Reddy’s will be responsible for local registrations, marketing and sales in the licensed territories.

CEO – Branded Markets (India and Emerging Markets) of Dr. Reddy’s M. V. Ramana said the partnership is in line with the firm’s intent to create a portfolio of oncology products and expand biosimilar offerings in emerging markets. “The partnership will help combine Prestige BioPharma established expertise in the area of biosimilars with Dr. Reddy’s commercial strengths and growth ambition in these markets,” he said.