Dr Reddy's launches cancer treatment drug Versavo in UK

New Delhi: Pharma major Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd on Tuesday announced the launch of its cancer treatment drug Versavo in the United Kingdom.

Versavo is a biosimilar of Avastin, a registered trademark of Roche, and is indicated for the treatment of several types of cancers, including metastatic colorectal cancer, lung cancer, recurrent glioblastoma, metastatic renal cell carcinoma, advanced cervical cancer, ovarian cancer and metastatic breast cancer, Dr Reddy's Laboratories said in a regulatory filing.

It is the first biosimilar product of the company to be approved and launched in the UK. It is available in strengths of 100 mg and 400 mg single-use vials, it added.

"The launch of Versavo in a highly regulated market underscores our capability for global clinical development of high-quality biosimilar products. Versavo is a potential treatment option for patients with different types of cancers," Dr Reddy's Global Head of Biologics Jayanth Sridhar said.

Further, he said, "This launch reinforces our commitment to bring more biosimilar and other critical biological products to meet the unmet needs of patients, and strengthens our focus on oncology." Dr Reddy's launched Versavo in India in 2019. Subsequently, it was introduced in other markets such as Thailand, Ukraine, Nepal, and Jamaica under the same brand name.

In Colombia, the product was launched under the brand name Persivia.