Drug firm Cipla Ltd and Roche Pharma India has said that they have entered an agreement under which Cipla will promote and distribute tocilizumab and Syndyma, the 2nd brand of Roche’s cancer therapy bevacizumab in India.
This partnership is in line with Cipla and Roche’s efforts to improve healthcare and increase access to innovative, life-changing medicines in India, particularly to patients who currently do not have access to such, Cipla said in a filing to BSE.
Commenting on the development, Cipla MD and global CEO Umang Vohra said, “The prevalence of cancer and rheumatoid arthritis is widely spread across India, and Cipla can contribute to provide broader access to innovative medicines like tocilizumab and bevacizumab.” The company looks forward to promote and distribute the drugs in India, he added.
“At Roche, improving access to the critical medicines that patients need is an integral part of what we do,” Roche Pharma India MD Lara Bezerra said. “This partnership will significantly advance “our efforts to expand the reach of, and improve access to, our innovative medicines,” she added.
This will also enable Roche to focus on bringing new, transformative medicines to patients in India, Bezerra said. “At Roche, we will continue to collaborate with various stakeholders to help transform healthcare in India,” she added.