Dr. Reddy’s launches Toripalimab in India to treat a rare form of head and neck cancer
Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories on Thursday announced the launch of Toripalimab in India to treat adults with Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) — a rare and aggressive form of head and neck cancer that originates in the nasopharynx, the upper part of the throat.
Toripalimab is an anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody that can block the interaction of PD-1 with its ligands, PD-L1 and PD-L2, and enhanced internalization of the receptor (endocytosis activity).
When PD-1 interaction is blocked, the immune system gains the ability to attack and kill tumor cells. The combination of Toripalimab and standard-of-care chemotherapy showed a 48 percent reduction in the risk of progression or death.
“The launch of Toripalimab is a milestone for patients diagnosed with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in India.
NPC is a rare form of head and neck cancer. However, the prognosis for patients in advanced stages is poor, and India is among the top five countries in the world in terms of disease burden,” said MV Ramana, Chief Executive Officer, Branded Markets (India and Emerging Markets). Dr. Reddy’s.
“As a next-generation PD-1 inhibitor, Toripalimab has shown superior results in recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (RM-NPC) versus the standard of care, thus meeting an important unmet need for patients with NPC in India,” he added.
The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), in April, approved the lab of Dr. Reddy to import and market toripalimab. The drug will be marketed in India under the brand name Zytorvi.
Previously, the standard of care for RM-NPC in India was chemotherapy (gemcitabine and cisplatin). Toripalimab is indicated as first-line treatment for adults with metastatic or locally advanced NPC in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin.
NPC is a malignant tumor arising from the epithelium of the nasopharynx. According to GLOBOCAN 2022 statistics, the number of newly diagnosed cases of NPC in 2022 exceeded 120,000 worldwide.
In India, there were 6,519 newly diagnosed cases of NPC in 2022, with Kohima in Nagaland having an incidence of 19.4/100,000 population.
Toripalimab is the only immuno-oncology drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and others for the treatment of adults with RM-NPC.
