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HYDERABAD, India — Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. and Bayer have partnered to market and distribute a second brand of vericiguat in India.
Under the terms of their agreement, Bayer has granted nonexclusive rights to Dr. Reddy’s under the brand name Gantra. Vericiguat, a soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulator, in India, is indicated, along with guideline-based medical therapy, in adults with symptomatic chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (less than 45%), following a recent event of worsening heart failure which required hospitalization or outpatient intravenous (IV) diuretics.
Vericiguat works on a pathway not currently targeted by existing heart failure treatments and can reduce the combined risk of cardiovascular death and heart failure hospitalization in such patient. India has between 8-10 million people with heart failure, making it one of the largest populations with this condition.
In September 2022, Bayer launched the patented drug vericiguat under the brand name Verquvo in India. Verquvo is the first soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator, a new class of drugs, which works on a pathway not currently targeted by existing heart failure treatments and was studied in a population with a higher risk of cardiovascular death or heart
failure hospitalization.
Shweta Rai, Managing Director, Bayer Zydus Pharma and Country Division Head (CDH) for Bayer’s Pharmaceuticals Business in South Asia said, “Despite therapy, chronic heart failure patients can experience disease progression that disrupts their lives and leads to worsening heart failure events. Vericiguat can help slow down disease progression, reduce hospital admissions and improve their chances of survival.
“The introduction of a second brand of vericiguat in India, through our partnership with Dr. Reddy’s is a reaffirmation of our commitment to making innovative healthcare solutions accessible to as many patients as possible. We are excited about the possibilities this partnership with Dr. Reddy’s presents in improving health outcomes for patients with chronic HF, following a recent event of worsening heart failure.”
M.V. Ramana, Chief Executive Officer, Branded Markets (India and Emerging Markets), Dr. Reddy’s, said: “Strengthening our chronic therapy portfolio in India continues to be a focus area for us. Vericiguat is a first-in-class sGC stimulator indicated for adults with symptomatic, chronic HF and ejection fraction less than 45% following worsening heart failure. The addition of Vericiguat bolsters our heart failure management portfolio that includes Cidmus, Daplo and beta blockers.
“The partnership with Bayer is part of Dr. Reddy’s continuous efforts to make innovative medicines available to patients in India through strategic collaborations. We will use our strengths in marketing and distribution to widen access to thisnovel treatment in metros and beyond into tier-I and tier-II towns in India.”
The average age of an Indian heart failure patient is a decade younger than their Western counterparts being 55 – 60. Despite the substantially younger age of patients with HF in India, the 5-year mortality rate is 60%. In patients with chronic heart failure, with reduced ejection fraction (less than 45%) an event of worsening heart failure can happen at any stage. 90% of patients who suffer from worsening heart failure are not in the advanced stage of chronic heart failure.
HF remains the commonest cardiac cause of hospitalization in India with worsening heart failure events being one of the most important causes of death in heart failure patients.
Vericiguat is approved for use in 35 countries including the United States, European Union countries, the United Kingdom, Japan and Singapore. The drug was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in January 2021 and by the European Commission inJuly 202118.
Vericiguat is the only treatment that has been recommended following a worsening heart failure event, on top of foundational heart failure therapies in major international guidelines including the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Guidelines, American Heart Association (AHA), American College of Cardiology (ACC), the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) and also the Canadian Heart Failure Society/Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS/CHFS) Heart Failure Guidelines.
