Rituximab is currently co-marketed by Biogen Idec and Genentech in the US market as Rituxan, and Roche in the EU as MabThera. Dr Anji Reddy, chairman of Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, said: “This is a proud moment for the organization, to know that we have succeeded in developing this very complex molecule which will help in providing an affordable solution to patients.”
Reditux is approximately priced at half the originator’s price, the company said, and is the second product from Dr Reddy’s Biologics Division. There are several other products in development primarily in the areas of oncology and autoimmune diseases.
Dr Reddy’s also launched its social initiative called “Sparsh” – an assistance program for cancer patients undergoing treatment – at the Reditux launch. Patients identified by the doctors through Sparsh would be provided Reditux free of cost.
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma describes a group of cancers arising from lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell, and is the sixth leading cause of cancer death in the US.