Hetero launches colorectal cancer drug

Hyderabad-based pharma major Hetero Drugs has launched its biosimilar ‘Bevacizumab’ in the Indian market under the brand name ‘CizumabTM’.

The product is used for the treatment of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer (mCRC). Swiss healthcare giant Roche has filed a lawsuit in the Delhi High Court to prevent the launch of Bevacizumab in India but Hetero Drugs said that there no order against the company.

“Roche has filed a lawsuit to block the launch of Hetero’s Biosimilar Bevacizumab before the Honourable High Court. However the High Court has not given any injunction order and as such the launch is not prohibited,” a Hetero spokesperson told Business Today. Bevacizumab has received the required approvals from the regulatory authority to launch the product, he added.

The price at which the product is being launched in the market is not hugely different from that of the products of  Roche and Reliance Life Sciences, which are also in the market. Biosimilar makers argue that greater competition, with more products getting launched in the market, will lead to a gradual decline in prices eventually benefiting the end user.

“The product has been approved by Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) and has been recommended as a first-line treatment for mCRC. The product will be made available to patients in a single dose vial with two strengths, 100 mg and 400 mg. It will be marketed and distributed by Hetero Healthcare Limited, a group company of Hetero,” says the media release issued by Hetero.

It also quotes B.P.S. Reddy, CMD, Hetero Group of Companies as saying: “It has been an exciting journey for us in Biologics. Hetero’s Bevacizumab is the third product in our biologics portfolio, after Darbepoetin alfa and Rituximab. We believe CizumabTM will be a cost-effective treatment option to patients in India. The product will be manufactured in our dedicated state-of-the-art Biologics facility based in Hyderabad.”