Sun Pharma receives approval for first biologic drug
pharmafile | March 22, 2018 | News story | Sales and Marketing | Sun Pharma, biotech, drugs, pharma, pharmaceutical
The beginning of Sun Pharma’s diversification out of generic drugs is here and it’s a drug that MSD, known as Merck in North America, was happy to pass over to the Indian pharma company. The drug is Ilumya and it’s a treatment for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.
There’s no doubt that the therapy enters a crowded marketplace, currently dominated by Novartis’ Cosentyx, alongside similar rivals in Eli Lilly’s Taltz, Johnson & Johnson’s Tremfya and Valeant’s Siliq.
Exactly how Sun Pharma is going to be able to differentiate Ilumya from this competitive market remains to be seen, arriving as late as it does.
The main angle it has to make a dent would be to undercut rivals on price to such an extent as to make the product attractive for physicians prescribing to new patients.
The difficulty of how to pitch the drug is undoubtedly one of the reasons why MSD decided to give up the drug to Sun Pharma for a snip, at just $80 million – though MSD is eligible for further payments and royalties on the drug.
However, the approval comes with some clear benefits for Sun Pharma – it is predicted that the drug could reach sales of $200-$300 million in the next five years and also gives it a foothold in the biologic market, including the lucrative psoriasis area.
“With the approval of ILUMYA and our long-standing commitment in dermatology, we are focused on making a difference for people living with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis,” said Abhay Gandhi, President and Chief Executive Officer, North America, Sun Pharma. “We are committed to working with all relevant stakeholders to make ILUMYA available to appropriate people with plaque psoriasis.”
Sun Pharma has had to diversify away from its generic products, mainly because of the significant downturn in the US generics market that has hit the company hard.
On top of that, it is not seeing the revenue it could expect from its portfolio after being hit by numerous productions holds at its manufacturing plants in India – although, according to reports, it looks like a major stumbling block at its Halol plant may soon be resolved.
Ben Hargreaves
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