Zydus Cadila has launched a biosimilar of Adalimumab, which is used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and Ankylosing spondylitis.

Though the innovator drug, sold under the brand name Humira, is still under patent in the US, it is not sold in India. The US patent is expected to expire in 2019, though it will lose patent in other markets earlier.

Zydus Cadila expects to garner ₹ 100 crore in revenues from this product in three years. The company would sell this medicine, which is used for treatment of auto-immune diseases that result in inflammation of joints, will be sold under the brand name Exemptia.

Further, Sharvil Patel, Deputy Managing Director of Cadila Healthcare said the drug would cost about a fifth in India as compared to the US, where it is priced at about $1,000 a vial.

Patel said in India at least 12 million people suffer from conditions which would indicate the use of this medicine.

“I think in India the other therapies that are available have high side-effects and the biologics which are available are unaffordable,” he said, adding that this, along with other factors such as lack of insurance, patient support and poor diagnosis, means that only a few thousand patients are taking the best possible line of therapy.

He added that the innovator has revenues of about $12 billion annually, with about 700,000 people on the medication.

Patel added that Zydus Cadila would explore the opportunity to market Exemptia in other countries by 2016, when the innovator drug’s patents would expire in some markets. In other countries the patents would expire post 2018-19.

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