Ranbaxy has the rights to commercialize Infimab in other markets in Southeast Asia and North Africa
Singapore: Epirus Biopharmaceuticals in cooperation with Ranbaxy has launched their first biosimilar product, Infimab, a Remcade biosimilar in India. The Boston-based biopharmaceutical company said that infimab will be manufactured by Reliance Lifesciences at a facility in Mumbai.
Mr Amit Munshi, president and CEO of EPIRUS, said, "The launch of Infimab in the fourth quarter of this year is earlier than anticipated and this demonstrated our ability to execute with our partner."
Infimab represents an affordable solution for patients and may expand patient access to this important medicine. "With this first launch, and a diverse pipeline in development, we look forward to continuing to provide solutions for patients globally," he added.
Epirus has entered into a strategic partnership with Ranbaxy, under the terms of which Ranbaxy has the rights to commercialize Infimab in other markets in Southeast Asia and North Africa.
The product was launched at the Indian Rheumatology Association Conference (IRACON) in Chandigarh, in the presence of over a thousand rheumatologists and doctors from around the country.
Highlighting the significance of the newly launched Infimab, Mr Rajeev Sibal, vice president & country head-India region, Ranbaxy, said, "Infimab offers a new opportunity in the management of conditions like rheumatoid arthritis. The product has been developed as per global standards and delivers a similar clinical outcome to the innovator. It will be available in India at a very significant discount as compared to the innovator drug. More Indian patients will get the benefit of a world-class biologic treatment."
Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most common chronic inflammatory diseases that cause disability. The literature estimates a prevalence of 0.5 percent to 0.75 percent in India.
To manage the disease, Indian rheumatologists are using Infliximab to treat only a select set of patients because it is very expensive. With the new alternative, millions of Indian and Asian arthritis patients can now heave a sigh of relief.
