Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Aurigene Pharmaceutical Services, and DNDi to explore joint opportunities to develop affordable and life-saving new drugs for neglected tropical diseases

Hyderabad and Geneva — 30 Aug 2022

Potential partnership to explore new therapeutic solutions and serve unmet needs of patients in LMICs and beyond

MoU aims to bring together DNDi’s expertise in NTDs with the scientific, technical, and commercial capabilities of APSL and Dr. Reddy’s

Such a possible collaboration will further Dr. Reddy’s goal of reaching over 1.5 billion patients by 2030 and introducing new innovative treatment options to improve standard of care to meet unmet medical needs

Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. (‘Dr. Reddy’s’) and Aurigene Pharmaceutical Services Limited (‘APSL’), a contract research, development, and manufacturing services organization and fully owned stepdown subsidiary of Dr. Reddy’s announce a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), a not-for-profit research and development organization that develops new therapeutic solutions for neglected diseases and the DNDi India Foundation.

The parties will explore a potential collaboration to develop and market novel and improved drugs for the treatment of identified neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) of national and global importance. The parties will also seek to work towards ensuring access of those drugs at affordable prices to patients in need particularly in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) that are disproportionately affected by these NTDs. This potential partnership will aim to bring DNDi’s expertise in NTDs together with the scientific, technical, and commercial capabilities of APSL and Dr. Reddy’s: access to a pipeline of new chemical entities, pre-clinical studies, network, and advocacy on these NTDs by DNDi; phase-wise clinical studies, research and development, commercial manufacturing of the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) and the finished products by APSL; distribution and commercialisation of the drugs by Dr. Reddy’s.

NTDs are a diverse group of 20 conditions that are mainly prevalent in tropical areas. Globally, 1.7 billion people are affected by NTDs such as mycetoma, sleeping sickness, leishmaniasis (kala azar), Chagas disease, and river blindness. Across continents, NTDs cause intense suffering, disability and often death, and impoverish individuals, families, and communities.

Deepak Sapra, CEO – API and Services, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd., said: ‘In keeping with our purpose of Good Health Can’t Wait, we have always stood for access to affordable and innovative drugs. We are grateful for this opportunity to explore a collaboration with DNDi, a globally renowned champion of the cause of neglected diseases with strong networks and know-how in this segment. We will look to leverage the strengths and capabilities of all the parties to explore new drugs with the intention of making them available in India and in countries with high disease burden in these NTDs. This potential partnership reinforces our aim as an organization to triple our existing reach to touch over 1.5 billion patients around the world by 2030, and to introduce innovative products to improve standard of care.’

Dr Bernard Pecoul, Executive Director, DNDi said, ‘We are excited to explore the possibility of a strategic long-term collaboration with Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories to develop affordable and effective therapeutics for neglected populations. India is hailed as the “pharmacy of the world” and a potential partnership with one of its pharmaceutical giants can help hundreds of thousands of neglected patients to access the drugs they need. We appreciate Dr. Reddy’s for stepping forward to contribute to the field of neglected diseases that has historically been ignored by many pharmaceutical companies.’

Akhil Ravi, CEO, Aurigene Pharmaceutical Services Ltd., said, ‘We are pleased to have the opportunity to explore a partnership with DNDi and use our robust manufacturing capabilities and CDMO services to serve a large population around the world in the NTDs segment. Over the years, APSL has delivered novel and complex molecules. With integrated services from clinical research to commercial manufacturing for small and large molecules, APSL has a strong track record of working on multiple projects across various therapy areas. Through our strong pipeline of innovative drug candidates in discovery and clinical development, we aim to become the trusted and dynamic partner for future-ready healthcare solutions.’

Dr Kavita Singh, Director, DNDi South Asia said, ‘This potential partnership aims to leverage each other’s expertise and strengths while working together to develop new treatments that address public health needs in India and beyond. The selection will be made from DNDi’s portfolio of new chemical entities in different stages of development. DNDi with its partners are continuing their efforts to develop treatments that are oral, safe, and effective.’

About Dr. Reddy’s

Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. is an integrated pharmaceutical company, committed to providing affordable and innovative medicines for healthier lives. Dr. Reddy’s offers a portfolio of products and services including APIs, custom pharmaceutical services, generics, biosimilars and differentiated formulations. Our major therapeutic areas of focus are gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, diabetology, oncology, pain management and dermatology. Dr. Reddy’s operates in markets across the globe. Our major markets include – USA, India, Russia & CIS countries, and Europe. For more information: drreddys.com

About Aurigene Pharmaceutical Services Ltd

Aurigene Pharmaceutical Services Limited (APSL) is an integrated partner for global pharma companies. It covers the entire value chain for drug discovery to contract development and manufacturing services of APIs and formulations. It has development laboratories from discovery to clinical phase III for New Chemical and Biological Entities (NCEs/NBEs). It can also do cGMP manufacturing in the UK, Mexico, USA, and India.

About DNDi

A not-for-profit research and development organization, DNDi  works to deliver new treatments for neglected patients, those living with Chagas disease, sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis), leishmaniasis, filarial infections, mycetoma, paediatric HIV, hepatitis C, and dengue. DNDi is also coordinating the ANTICOV clinical trial to find treatments for mild-to-moderate COVID-19 cases in low- and middle-income countries. Since its inception in 2003, DNDi  has delivered twelve new treatments to date, including new drug combinations for kala-azar, two fixed-dose antimalarials, and DNDi’s first successfully developed new chemical entity, fexinidazole, approved in 2018 for the treatment of both stages of sleeping sickness. dndi.org

About DNDi India Foundation

The DNDi  Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative  India Foundation is an independent not-for-profit research and development (R&D) organization. The Foundation was created by the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) along with prominent Indian researchers in 2016 to foster collaboration and partnerships in India to develop treatments, vaccines, and diagnostics for people suffering from neglected diseases and other health issues. The principal objectives of the Foundation are to stimulate and support R&D, enhance R&D capacity, raise awareness of the need to research and develop drugs, and seek equitable access for tools developed for neglected tropical diseases.