Wockhardt Zaynich succeeds in third compassionate use, shares rise while tariff talk keeps pharma subdued

Wockhardt

Shares of pharmaceutical company Wockhardt surged over two percent on April 1 after the company announced that its novel antibiotic Zaynich drug was successful in curing a severe drug-resistant infection in a 15-year old cancer patient in US under compassionate use, marking the third successful treatment by the antibiotic which is undergoing phase III study.

The minor patient was suffering from Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), a type of blood and bone marrow cancer, and had not responded to nine antibiotics, before taking Zaynich, Wockhardt said in its statement.

"Given the patient’s critical condition, the medical team sought approval from the USFDA for the compassionate use of Zaynich. Following the approval, the patient was treated with Zaynich for 41 days, resulting in the successful resolution of the infection and a stabilization of the patient's clinical condition," Wockhardt said.

As many as 51 patients suffering from life-threatening Gram-negative infections have so far been successfully treated under compassionate use of Zidebactam/Cefepime, or Zaynich. Earlier in January, Wockhardt had announced that Zaynich has achieved a 96.8 percent efficacy in the Phase III study for a complicated Urinary Tract Infection. It is yet to receive approvals for market launch.

During 2024, Wockhardt Chairman Habil Khorakiwala had said that once the trials are complete, the company will seek necessary regulatory approvals and hope to be in the market 'some time in 2026'.

The rise in Wockhardt's share price comes on a day when the overall market trend was weak, and shares of several pharma giants crashed, pushing the Nifty Pharma down by over 1.7 percent. This comes as investors remain concerned ahead of US President Trump's April 2 deadline to impose reciprocal tariffs.

Wockhardt shares have surged over 21 percent in the past one month, making a strong recovery from the 52-week low which it had hit in June last year, and scaled its 52-week high in February this year.