Dr. Reddy's Laboratories has become the first Indian company to launch Zytorvi (toripalimab), a next-generation PD-1 inhibitor for recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma...
India ranks as the third most affected country by nasopharyngeal carcinoma, behind China and Indonesia, highlighting the urgent need for this therapeutic intervention. Chilamula Srija, Pharma Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The introduction of toripalimab in India is a groundbreaking advancement in NPC treatment. With a growing disease burden in India, this therapy provides much-needed hope to patients with recurrent or metastatic disease. It also signifies a leap forward in making cutting-edge oncology treatments accessible in emerging markets, where options have historically been limited.”
In 2023, Dr. Reddy's entered a licensing and commercialization agreement with Shanghai Junshi Biosciences, granting exclusive rights to develop and market toripalimab in 21 countries, with potential expansion into Australia, New Zealand, and nine other countries.
Toripalimab has a compelling clinical profile, offering a 48% reduction in disease progression or death risk when used as a first-line treatment with standard chemotherapy. It is also approved as a monotherapy for patients with disease progression after platinum-based chemotherapy. The drug is already launched in the US and China, with India being its third market.
Srija concludes: “Based on the historical immuno-oncology drugs already available in India, these expensive drugs have limited penetration in India. Therefore, affordable pricing will help improve the market access to Zytorvi in India. Dr. Reddy's demonstrates a nuanced understanding of patients' need and offers a comprehensive range of innovative biologics and biosimilars... It will further help in bridging treatment gaps for patients in India.”