AstraZeneca will retain the intellectual property rights to Symbicort – the combination of budesonide and formoterol fumarate dihydrate, and will continue to be the marketing authorisation holder (MAH) and import license.
ET has last week reported that AstraZeneca has been looking to partner with India pharma companies to expand the reach of their products.
Symbicort is one of the top-selling products for AstraZeneca globally with sales of around $2.4 billion in 2023.
“The partnership with Mankind Pharma presents an opportunity to accelerate access and maximize the potential of our asthma drug as well as the turbuhaler which is a simple device, efficient in consistently delivering a higher proportion of respirable particles than the other devices,” said Sanjeev Panchal, country president and MD, AstraZeneca India.
“As much as we are excited to bring innovative medicine to India fast, we are equally invested in improving access strategically in the country,” Panchal added.Mankind Pharma is the fourth largest company in the domestic branded formulation segment, with an expansive distribution network including close to 16,000 field force and more than 13,000 stockists across India,”Symbicort’s dual mechanism of action and ease of use in a single inhaler can greatly help patients manage these conditions and improve their quality of life. Through our field forces’ extensive outreach, we hope to strengthen access across urban and rural markets,” said Atish Majumdar, senior president – sales & marketing, Mankind Pharma.
India is contributing 13% to the global asthma burden and a disproportionate 43% of the global asthma deaths.
Globally AstraZeneca is an established drug maker in respiratory care with focus on inhalation and biologics.
