
Wockhardt pins US future on novel antibiotics, vacating US generics biz
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Wockhardt Ltd that built its name as a maker of generic drugs is shifting its focus in the US market to developing new antibiotics, turning away from generics and entering a space largely vacated by Big Pharma in recent years. The company is working on new antibiotics and has identified segments for a push into biosimilar drugs, chairman Habil Khorakiwala said, in the wake of promising results shown by Zaynich, an antibiotic it developed in-house.
Wockhardt is in the process of seeking approvals from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the drug, at a time of rising drug resistance and few new antibiotics. Also Read | This multi-billion dollar opportunity could be a game changer for Wockhardt The company is building a global business model for its drug discovery and research business, targeting a 10-year exclusivity in the regulated markets for its novel antibiotics, and new biosimilar drugs to treat diabetes and obesity, said Khorakiwala, 82, who founded the Mumbai-based drugmaker in 1967. “I want to derisk the organization fundamentally," Khorakiwala said in an interview.
“You will see a (new) drug coming out of our portfolio every two years for the next five to seven years." Most large pharma companies have exited antibiotic research. Bristol-Myers Squibb, once a leader in antibiotics, exited infectious disease research in the 2000s. Eli Lilly followed in the early 2000s, while Sanofi left in the mid-2010s.
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