India offers incentives to domestic drugmakers for APIs; After PhIII trials, Taiho licenses Arokaris in Japan
India has been dependent on the import of active pharmaceutical ingredients to manufacture its drugs. But thanks to a a recent government initiative, 35 of those will now be manufactured in the country.
India depends on imports for 90% of its APIs, Mansukh Mandaviya, the Minister of Health & Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilizers told reporters this week. But thanks to a production-linked incentive scheme brought on by the government, in-country pharmas can receive payments over the next six years for making formulations, biopharmaceuticals, active pharmaceutical ingredients, key starting material, drug intermediates, and in vitro diagnostic medical devices.
Right now, much of the dependence is on APIs coming out of China.
After PhIII trials, Taiho licenses Arokaris in Japan
Japanese pharma Taiho has gotten the go-ahead to manufacture and market the natural killer receptor drug Arokaris for gastrointestinal symptoms associated with chemotherapy.
Taiho got the exclusive development and marketing rights in Japan under the deal with Helsinn in 2011. It submitted a new drug application in March 2021. The approval is based upon the results of the Phase III study CONSOLE, comparing the efficacy and safety in patients receiving highly emetogenic chemotherapy in combination with palonosetron and dexamethasone.
Vietnamese pharma to make generic molnupiravir
Stellapharm has been given the OK to manufacture molnupiravir in Vietnam to produce and supply the low-cost version of the Covid-19 antiviral treatment to supply the Medicines Patent Pool.
Stellapharm says it is the only generic manufacturer among 27 in the country that has signed on to both produce and supply the drug to 105 low- and middle-income countries.
Stellapharm will use the G140, a continuous-motion capsule filling machine from Italy to make the pills.
