Drug shortages, stable prices and a demand recovery in the US helped drive Aurobindo’s growth in Q4. Meanwhile, the company is developing a biosimilar to Roche/Novartis’s multi-billion product Xolair, as predicted by Scrip earlier. Use of decentralized mode for its Phase III trials is a notable aspect

Zydus, the only Indian company with an NCE for a range of chronic liver diseases, will add Turkey to the list of trial locations for NASH. It is also working “aggressively” to launch a generic to Amarin’s Vascepa after Revlimid and Trokendi generics drove record US sales in the fourth quarter

Otezla, the first and only US oral treatment approved in adult patients with plaque psoriasis across all severities, will not see generic competition in the US for another five years, per a Federal Circuit decision.

India has exempted imports of top-selling oncology drug Merck’s Keytruda from customs duty as also rare disease drugs listed in the National Policy For Rare Diseases. However, patient advocacy groups feel more fiscal measures and manufacturing incentives are needed to improve access