Dr Reddy's inks distribution agreement for Sanofi vaccines in India

Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories

Pharmaceutical major Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories has signed an exclusive partnership with Sanofi Healthcare India to promote and distribute the latter's vaccine brands in India.

“Under the arrangement, Dr. Reddy’s will have exclusive rights to promote and distribute Sanofi’s paediatric and adult vaccine brands such as Hexaxim, Pentaxim, Tetraxim, Menactra, FluQuadri, Adacel and Avaxim 80U. These brands saw combined sales of approximately Rs 426 crore according to IQVIA MAT February 2024,” the firm said in an exchange filing.

However, the French drug maker will continue to own, manufacture, and import these brands to the country.

Preeti Futnani, general manager India for vaccines, Sanofi, said, “Vaccine confidence has reached its highest in India in the last few years. Yet, there is much to be done for the rest of the country’s large unvaccinated cohort. We’re confident this partnership will further bolster our promise of saving millions of lives against vaccine-preventable diseases with improved coverage.”

MV Ramana, chief executive officer, branded markets (India and emerging markets), Dr. Reddy’s, said the portfolio will give Dr Reddy’s a solid presence in the vaccine segment.

“The portfolio now gives Dr. Reddy’s a strong presence in the vaccine segment, propelling us to the second position among vaccines players in India. Through each product and partnership, our aim is to serve over 1.5 billion patients by 2030.”

According to the deal, there is no upfront payment involved and the French drug maker will supply vaccines to Dr Reddy’s.

Sanofi India's stock price closed the day at Rs 7,960.45, registering a gain of 3.24 per cent, while Dr Reddy's posted fall of 1.22 per cent to Rs 6,052.5.