India's cardiac sector in for major disruptions as top Novartis heart drug set to go off patent: Report

Swiss drugmaker Novartis’ heart failure drug Vymada or Entresto going off patent in January is set to trigger major disruptions in India's cardiology sector, as per a Business Standard report.

The drug as it is sold in India is a combination of Sacubitril and Valsartan and is one of the fastest growing drugs in the country's Rs 23,000 crore cardiac market. It has reached a size of Rs 550 crore in the Indian cardiac market and is estimated to have a size of $4 billion globally.

In addition, with the drug going off patent, many pharmaceutical companies have jumped on the chance to market generic versions of the drug. These include Torrent Pharma, Sun Pharma, Cipla, Lupin, USV.

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Sun Pharma has the largest share in the Indian cardiac market, followed by Torrent Pharma, Lupin and USV. Meanwhile, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories has already armed its arsenal by acquiring the cardiovascular brand Cidmus from Novartis earlier this year for Rs 463 crore.

“Top firms are readying to launch the drug, and price slashes would be in the range of 50-70 percent immediately,” said an industry source told the publication.
Currently, each Vymada 100 mg tablet costs around Rs 85.

The development follows the recent patent expiries of key diabetes drugs. India’s price regulator is keeping an eye on key drugs going off patent. The Centre and the industry are working on a pricing mechanism for drugs that are going off patent.