Cipla gain on signing licence agreement with Japanese firm to launch ‘Vonoprazan’ in India

The company informed the stock exchanges in a filing that it has entered into an agreement with a Japanese pharmaceutical major to commercialise ‘Vonoprazan’, a drug used to treat acid-related illnesses, in India under its own trademark.

Pharmaceutical major Cipla announced on June 20 that it has a non-exclusive patent licence agreement with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company that allows it to commercialise the drug in India under its own trademark brands.

Shares of Cipla gained 1.16% to hit a high of ₹1,562.9 apiece on the NSE. The pharma stock was trading 0.19% lower at ₹1,541.5 apiece on the NSE at 2:40 pm.

Cipla said that Vonoprazan (oral tablets) is a novel potassium-competitive acid blocker (P-CAB) used to treat various related disorders, including Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). It is effective in treating conditions such as erosive oesophagitis, gastric ulcers, duodenal ulcers, peptic ulcers, gastroesophageal reflux, reflux oesophagitis, and Helicobacter pylori eradication.

Achin Gupta, CEO – One India Business, Cipla Limited, said, “Bringing new and advanced therapies to the Indian market has always been a key area of focus for us. We believe this partnership will not only address a significant medical need, but also strive to provide a better quality of life for patients.”

On Tuesday, in an exchange filing, Cipla announced that its wholly-owned UK subsidiary, Cipla (EU) Limited, will invest an additional 3 million euros in Ethris GmbH. In 2022, Cipla had invested 15 million euros in Ethris. During the COVID-19 pandemic, mRNA vaccines became significant following the first regulatory approvals for SARS-CoV-2. Cipla said that mRNA-based medicines hold immense potential for various applications, including infectious disease vaccines, therapeutic cancer vaccines, and protein replacement therapies.

In April, Cipla’s wholly-owned subsidiary and consumer healthcare division, Cipla Health, expanded its presence in the beauty and personal care sector. The company announced that Cipla Health has entered into a business transfer agreement to acquire the distribution and marketing operations of Ivia Beaute Private Limited’s cosmetics and personal care business on a global scale.