Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical is looking to bring more products from its innovative portfolio into India, said Koki Sato, Country Head, Takeda India, on the launch of its gastrointestinal drug Kynteles (or Vedolizumab).

Despite the unprecedented challenges posed by the lockdown across countries, Vedolizumab has been imported last month from Europe and will be supplied in India, Sato told BusinessLine , speaking from Ukraine. The lockdown has kept him from physically taking charge in India, where he was appointed at the helm in April.

Sato said, Takeda would look at “fair pricing” strategies for its products based on the country environment. Kynteles, an injectable drug, is part of Takeda’s gastrointestinal (GI) portfolio, a key therapeutic area for the company in India besides rare diseases that included haematology, genetic diseases, and immunology.

The product is priced at ₹71,310 per vial, and is given in the said regimen, till symptoms subside, the company said. The recommended dose regimen of Kynteles is 300 mg (one vial) administered by intravenous infusion at zero, two and six weeks and then every eight weeks thereafter.

‘New’ Takeda strategy

Last year, Takeda completed its $62-billion deal to acquire Shire. Sato said the next three years would see Takeda brining in its innovative products in its key therapies into India. And the launch of Kyenteles reflected this strategy from the ‘new’ Takeda along with Shire, he said.

Interestingly, Takeda is in an international alliance to bring plasma therapy to patients with Covid-19. It is a partnership with other similar international organisations, Sato said, adding that efforts were still underway for a potential candidate.

Looking to bring in innovative products, he said the Indian patent regime was evolving and seemed “favourable”.

Life-long management

Kynteles is used to treat adult patients with moderate to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC) and crohn's disease (CD). Both UC and CD are chronic idiopathic inflammatory bowel diseases that can be debilitating and sometimes lead to life-threatening complications and require life-long disease management, the company said. Also sold internationally as Entyvio, the product is currently marketed in more than 60 countries, Takeda said.

comment COMMENT NOW