Dr. Reddy’s headquarters in Hyderabad
| Photo Credit: Arrangement
Pharma major Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories and Nasdaq-listed global biotech firm Alvotech will co-develop, manufacture and commercialise a biosimilar candidate to Merck’s cancer drug Keytruda (pembrolizumab) for global markets.
They will be jointly responsible for developing and manufacturing the biosimilar candidate and sharing costs as well as the responsibilities. “Subject to certain exceptions, each party will have the right to commercialise the product globally,” Dr. Reddy’s and Alvotech said on Thursday (June 5, 2025) in a joint statement announcing the signing of a licence agreement.
The collaboration will combine their proven capabilities in biosimilars thus speeding up the development process and extending global reach for the biosimilar candidate. A registered trademark of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp, Keytruda is indicated for the treatment of numerous cancer types. In 2024, the worldwide sales of Keytruda were $29.5 billion.
Oncology top focus therapy
“Oncology has been a top focus therapy area for us and this collaboration will further enhance our capabilities in oncology, as pembrolizumab currently represents one of the most critical therapies in immuno-oncology,” Dr. Reddy’s CEO Erez Israeli said.
Alvotech chairman and CEO Robert Wessman said “we are pleased to enter into this collaboration for pembrolizumab with Dr. Reddy’s. This agreement demonstrates Alvotech’s ability to leverage its dedicated R&D and manufacturing platform for biosimilars, accelerating the expansion of our pipeline by pursuing growing global markets.”
Published – June 05, 2025 02:22 pm IST
