Jardiance leads a class of drugs named SGLT-2 (sodium glucose co-transpoter-2) that works by helping the kidneys cut glucose from the blood stream and minimize renal damage and other debilitating complications linked with chronic diabetes. Sales of Jardiance stood at roughly ₹250 crore till August this year, based on the 12-month moving annual total (MAT), according to IQVIA, a global data science and pharma consulting firm.
Under its brand Vicra, Dr. Reddy’s is expected to sell the drug in India at less than a third of the price charged by Boehringer Ingelheim. According to sources the 10 mg variant of Dr. Reddy’s brand may cost ₹15 per tablet against ₹51 of the innovator’s brand. For the 25 mg variant, the price will be ₹18 per tablet against ₹62 of BI’s drug. Online pharmacy 1mg shows Jardiance is sold at a 25% price discount.
The decision of Dr. Reddy’s surprised many in the industry since this will be the first instance that the company has launched copies of a brand with a valid patent.
In a similar action, in April 2013, Mumbai-based Glenmark had launched cut-price versions of US giant Merck’s blockbuster Januvia, under its brand name Zita. After an acrimonious court battle revolving around patent infringement, Glenmark lost the case in Supreme Court in 2015 and ordered to withdraw its brand from the market.
In response to questions from ET, a spokesperson from Boehringer Ingelheim notes, “We have information about a generic empagliflozin molecule launch by a domestic pharma manufacturer, which could be an instance of patent infringement. We are exploring options to protect our rights as the active patent holder of empagliflozin. We have faith in the Indian Patent system and the enforcement of patent rights, which is imperative to drive patient-centred progress and innovation.”
It added we expect all responsible corporate citizens to uphold Boehringer Ingelheim’s valid patent for empagliflozin.
Dr. Reddy’s did not respond to queries from ET.
According to IQVIA data as of Aug. 2021, India’s anti-diabetes drugs market was at Rs. 16306 crore, growing annually at 9%. Of that, SGLT2 plain and combinations swelled to Rs. 969 crore and 487 crore respectively, which is the fastest among all other class of anti-diabetes drugs.
