DRL to distribute Sanofi’s Beyfortus, used to prevent RSV in infants

Against the backdrop of World Immunization Week, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd and Sanofi Healthcare India have expanded their partnership to bring in Beyfortus – a novel drug to prevent respiratory syncytial virus in infants.

Dr Reddy’s expects to launch Beyfortus in India in the second quarter of the current fiscal year, it said.

Beyfortus contains the monoclonal antibody, nirsevimab, in a prefilled injection used to prevent RSV lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) in newborns and infants born during or entering their first RSV season, a joint note from the companies said. It is also administered in children up to 24 months of age, who remain vulnerable to severe RSV disease through their second RSV season, it added.

Beyfortus has been approved for use in the European Union, the US, China, Japan, and many other countries around the world. In India, Beyfortus received its marketing authorization approval in June last year from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO).

Exclusive rights

DRL will have exclusive rights to promote and distribute Sanofi’s Beyfortus^® (nirsevimab) in India. And the arrangement follows DRL’s successful exclusive distribution partnership with Sanofi for their portfolio of vaccines in India last year.

RSV is a contagious virus that can lead to serious respiratory illness for infants, the note said, adding that two out of three infants are infected with RSV during their first year of life and almost all children are infected by their second birthday. It is also a leading cause of hospitalization in infants worldwide, with most hospitalizations occurring in healthy infants born at term, it said.

“In 2019, there were approximately 33 million cases of acute lower respiratory infections globally, leading to more than 3 million hospitalizations, and it was estimated that there were 26,300 in-hospital deaths of children younger than 5 years,” the note said.

Published on April 28, 2025