Low-cost immunotherapy: Zydus Lifesciences said it has launched Tishtha, a biosimilar version of the cancer immunotherapy nivolumab, pricing it at about a quarter of the cost of the originator medicine.
Nivolumab is a widely used checkpoint inhibitor that helps the immune system recognise and attack cancer cells. It is prescribed across multiple tumour types, including cancers of the lung, colon, liver, head and neck, and kidney, and has been among the world’s top-selling medicines by value in recent years.
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The launch follows a recent order by the Delhi High Court that allowed Zydus to introduce the product even as the drug’s patent in India remained in place until May.
Zydus said Tishtha will be sold in two vial strengths, 100 mg priced at Rs 28,950 and 40 mg priced at Rs 13,950, which it said works out to roughly one-fourth of the price of the reference product. The company said offering two strengths could help oncologists tailor dosing and reduce wastage, a cost factor in high-priced immunotherapy regimens.
Biosimilars are near-identical versions of biologic medicines, which are complex drugs produced from living cells. They are typically developed to match the safety and effectiveness of the original therapy while improving access through lower pricing.
Zydus said the nivolumab biosimilar is developed and manufactured in India and is intended for patients who require treatment over multiple cycles, where continuity of therapy is important and interruptions can add both clinical and financial strain.
The company’s announcement comes as India continues to face a heavy cancer burden. Health data in recent years have pointed to roughly 1.5 million new cancer diagnoses annually, with breast, lung and oral cancers among the most commonly reported, and cancer deaths running into the hundreds of thousands each year.