Targets AstraZeneca’s saxagliptin
Hyderabad-based Lee Pharma became the third Indian pharma company to tap the compulsory licence (CL) route when it filed for a CL on AstraZeneca’s saxagliptin on June 25. Saxagliptin is covered by Patent No. 206543, granted to Bristol-Myers Squibb in 2007, which later assigned the patent to AstraZeneca.
As per the Lee Pharma website, the company deals with API and intermediates and is headed by promoter/managing director, A Venkata Reddy. He started his career in Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, where he served in various capacities till 1993 after which he reportedly was the co-promoter of Hetero Drugs, serving as Executive Director till 1996. He then promoted Genix Pharma and served in the capacity of Managing Director till 1997 after which he started Lee Pharma.
India’s record on CL has been mixed, with the first CL, Natco’s application for Bayer’s Nexavar, being a success while the second one (BDR’s application for BMS’s Dasatinib) faced rejection.