Dr. Reddy’s, a global pharmaceutical company based in Hyderabad, India, has successfully partnered with the R-Pharm Group of Companies to fully localize the production process of the biopharmaceutical drug Redditux (rituximab). The drug has been registered in Russia since 2016. Now it will be produced in Moscow, starting from the substance stage.
Redditux is used in targeted therapy of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia and rheumatoid arthritis. This medication is part of the state program that addresses 14 high-cost conditions, ensuring that essential treatments are made available to patients suffering from rare and socially significant diseases.
“In 2017, we localized the production of the finished dosage form at the facilities of the R-Pharm Group of Companies. Now the project has been developed – full-cycle production of the drug has been established at the Sputnik Technopolis plant, one of the largest biotechnological enterprises in Russia,” said Vasily Ignatyev, CEO of R-Pharm.
“Redditux” is a bioanalog of rituximab, the first monoclonal antibody approved for use in oncology. This chimeric antibody has a targeted effect on the CD20 protein found on the surface of malignant and normal B cells, but does not affect B-cell precursors, mature plasma cells or other normal tissues.
According to experts, this acquisition fits into the development strategy of the pharmaceutical direction of R-Pharm – the company already has assets in the field of reproductive medicine. Thus, in 2024, the Reprofarm holding was created and the specialized domain reproapotheka.ru was registered. The new deal strengthens R-Pharm’s presence in the growing reproductive health segment.
The Russian ART market is growing: in the first nine months of 2024, the number of IVF cycles under compulsory medical insurance increased by 5% compared to the same period last year, reaching 60 thousand procedures. By November, this figure had grown to 83 thousand cycles.
