Dr. Reddy's Laboratories launches Versavo® (bevacizumab) in the UK

Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. (BSE: 500124, NSE: DRREDDY, NYSE: RDY, NSEIFSC: DRREDDY; hereafter referred to as “Dr. Reddy’s”), a global pharmaceutical company announced the launch of Versavo® (bevacizumab) in the United Kingdom (UK). Dr. Reddy’s Versavo® is a (bevacizumab) biosimilar of Avastin®1 and indicated for the treatment of several types of cancers, including metastatic colorectal cancer, advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer, recurrent glioblastoma, metastatic renal cell carcinoma, advanced cervical cancer, ovarian cancer and metastatic breast cancer2.

Versavo® is the first Dr. Reddy’s biosimilar product to be approved and launched in the UK. It is available in strengths of 100mg and 400mg single use vials.

Dr. Reddy’s launched Versavo® in India in 2019. Subsequently, Versavo® 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®.

Dr. Jayanth Sridhar, Global Head of Biologics at Dr. Reddy’s, said: “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. 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.”

About Dr. Reddy’s Versavo®:

Versavo® is bevacizumab biosimilar from Dr. Reddy's. Bevacizumab is the first antiangiogenic therapy proven to slow metastatic disease progression in patients with cancer. It is a humanized recombinant antibody that targets human vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), leading to deterred angiogenesis and tumor growth3.

About Dr. Reddy’s biosimilars programme:

Dr. Reddy’s biosimilars business is part of our key strategic initiatives expected to drive both near-term and long-term growth. Over the last 25 years, our Biologics team has developed into a fully integrated organisation with robust capabilities in the development, manufacture and commercialisation of a range of biosimilar products in oncology and immunology. We have a current portfolio of six commercial products marketed in India, with some products marketed in more than 25 other countries. In addition, we have several products in the pipeline in oncology and auto-immune diseases in various stages of development for global launches across regulated as well as emerging markets. We are also ramping up manufacturing capacity to support our global expansion plans. In July 2023, our proposed rituximab biosimilar application was accepted for review by the USFDA, EMA and MHRA.