Sun Pharma acquires three brands from Mumbai based Aksigen Hospital Care to boost anti-inflammatory portfolio

In a bid to boost its anti-inflammatory portfolio, global pharma major Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited on Monday announced the acquisition of three brands from Mumbai-based Aksigen Hospital Care, used in post-operative inflammation in patients undergoing minor surgery and dental procedures.

The brands namely Disperzyme, Disperzyme-CD, and Phlogam are approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI). Sun Pharma in a stock exchange filing said that Aksigen Hospital Care is research-driven healthcare entity with more than two decades of experience in the healthcare field. The brands were registered and launched in India by Aksigen in 2013.

“The addition of Disperzyme and Phlogam further strengthens our anti-inflammatory portfolio. This systemic enzyme therapy combination is being used to control edema and it speeds-up the healing process. In a comparative clinical trial in India, the brands provided significantly better control and resolution of post-operative pain and inflammation,” Kirti Ganorkar, CEO-India business, Sun Pharma, said. According to IQVIA data for November 2022, the overall market of proteolytic enzyme for healing, pain and edema in India is around Rs 500 crores.

Sun Pharma’s strategy has been a mix of organic and inorganic growth. The company has also been launching new drugs for the domestic and global market. Last week, Sun Pharma launched SEZABY (phenobarbital sodium) in the U.S. for the treatment of neonatal seizures. SEZABY is the first and only product approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) for the treatment of neonatal seizures in term and preterm infants.
 
SEZABY is a benzyl alcohol-free and propylene glycol-free formulation of phenobarbital sodium powder for injection. It was granted orphan drug designation by the US FDA for the treatment of neonatal seizures. Just before that on January 11, Sun Pharma launched a novel anti-cancer drug, Palbociclib in India for patients who have advanced breast cancer, the most common cancer among women in the country.  

Sun Pharma this month acquired US-based Concert Pharmaceuticals for $576 million in cash aimed at accessing Concert’s experimental drug—Deuruxolitinib--a potential treatment of Alopecia Areata, a skin disease causing partial or complete loss of hair on the scalp and body.

In last ten years, Sun Pharma has entered into at least 20 mergers and acquisitions. For instance, to access the dermatology generics portfolio through the manufacturing facilities at Israel and Canada, Sun acquired Taro Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd in 2010. The company in 2012 acquired DUSA Pharma to access to specialty drug-device combination in dermatology segment in the US.

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