India's Emcure to manufacture Roche's Herceptin, MabThera
March 5, 2012 | By Eric Palmer Roche
($RHHBY) is turning to an Indian pharmaceutical contract manufacturer, Emcure
Pharmaceuticals, to produce its biologic drugs Herceptin and MabThera for India
and other developing markets.It is believed to be the first time the Swiss
company, which has been known to defend its patents vigorously against Indian
generic drugmakers, has struck a deal with an Indian manufacturer for the
cancer treatments. "This deal will equip Emcure to manufacture products
which are sophisticated monoclonal antibodies," The Economic Times quotes
Mukund Ranade, the director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals, as saying. "We look
at this project as Emcure's first project with Roche. Depending on the success
of the same, we hope cooperation would become broad based."Roche spokeswoman
Claudia Schmitt in an email confirmed that Roche is partnering "with
Emcure in India
for manufacturing Herceptin and MabThera for the local market. We may expand
this arrangement for other Roche products in the future."Roche fought a
very public battle with Cipla ($CPLA.NS) over the Indian manufacturer's
production of a generic version of Roche's cancer drug Tarceva. In 2010, Cipla
invested $65 million for substantial stakes in two Asian biotech companies with
plans to develop a range of discounted biosimilars, including Roche's Avastin, Enbrel,
and, you guessed it, Herceptin. "Avastin, Enbrel, Herceptin--these are all
being marketed today, but the prices are very high," Cipla Chairman Yusuf
Hamied, told Bloomberg at the time. "We will have biosimilars for them."
Roche has been under pressure to provide a less expensive version of Herceptin,
which is the only drug of its kind for treating certain manifestations of
breast cancer. "This deal with Emcure is a smart move by Roche," Anjan
Sen, director of life sciences and healthcare for Deloitte India , said to
The Economic Times. "With this it can deter the entry of other generic
companies, and also offer affordable drugs for a country like India ."