Drug major Dr Reddy’s Laboratories has announced that it is working on new treatment options for Covid-19 patients.
The Hyderabad-based drug major, which already launched Sputnik V vaccine, aims to launch new treatment over the next few months while ensuring uninterrupted supplies of its existing range of products for the Covid-19.
“We are motivated to serve patients in every possible way and with utmost urgency. This is reflected in the multiple collaborations we have entered to develop and commercialise a wide range of preventive and curative options for Covid treatment,” Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Co-Chairman & Managing Director, G V Prasad said in an analyst call.
“We are also working on the launch of newer treatment options, which we will bring to the market in the next few months. We have also ensured that supplies of our existing medicines continue uninterrupted and we continue to meet the market demand for all our markets,” Prasad noted.
Commenting on business opportunities arising from the Sputnik V, Dr Reddy’s CEO Erez Israeli said: “We have the rights for the first 250 million of doses for India which translates to 125 million patients. And the initial quantities will come from the imported route that will come out of Russia.”
The company has tied up with six contractors (manufacturing partners) to produce the product locally in India.
“In addition, there are discussions with RDIF for Sputnik light as well as additional engagement for the future of India. And we are also in discussions with them about quantities and rights, assets permit for other countries. So this is the overall view that we have at this stage of Sputnik,” Israeli noted.
On the start of local production and supplies of the Covid-19 vaccine, he noted: “The first quantities will come from the Indian manufacturers hopefully by August and September. It depends of course on the qualifications of those sites and the ability to meet the bridging studies, etc, but this is at least the anticipation. If this plan is in place, we can deal with these quantities within 12-months.”
The first consignment of imported doses of the Sputnik V vaccine landed in India on May 1, and received regulatory clearance from the Central Drugs Laboratory, Kasauli, on May 13, 2021.
As part of a limited pilot, the soft launch of the vaccine has commenced and the first dose of the vaccine was administered in Hyderabad.
Dr Reddy’s had received permission from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to import the Sputnik vaccine into India for restricted use in emergency situations in April.