Latest news with #Zaynich
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Business Standard
2 days ago
- Health
- Business Standard
How Wockhardt's bet on multi-drug resistant infections is paying off
In India, Zaynich will be positioned as a third-line treatment, primarily for ICU patients when other antibiotics have failed Sohini Das Mumbai Listen to This Article Around 2009-10, Mahesh Patel, Wockhardt's chief scientific officer who was due to retire in a year or so, met chairman Habil Khorakiwala and made an impassioned request. He said he could see 'light at the end of the tunnel', and urged that after his retirement, the pharmaceutical company should not abandon the research project he'd been working on. The project he was referring to was an ambitious attempt to develop a cure for multi-drug resistant infections — one of the most urgent unmet needs in global health care. ''I will work without a salary,' he said,' Khorakiwala recalls. 'Such was
Business Standard
4 days ago
- Health
- Business Standard
Wockhardt's proprietary antibiotic Zaynich gets mentioned in leading U.K. Medical Journal
For its successful use in a critically ill U.S. liver transplant patient suffering from a pan-drug resistant infection A clinically challenging case involving Wockhardt's novel antibiotic Zaynich was recently published in the July 17, 2025 issue of the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy - AMR, a leading publication by the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. The publication details the successful use of Zaynich, a combination of Zidebactam and Cefepime, in treating a critically ill U.S. liver transplant patient suffering from a pan-drug resistant infectionan infection resistant to all available antibiotics in the United States. This case report is jointly authored by US clinicians from leading hospitals, Houston Methodist Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical College and Johns Hopkins. Notably, this patient was infected with two different pathogens - Pseudomonas and Klebsiella, both resistant to all the recently introduced antibiotics such as cefiderocol, ceftazidime/avibactam, ceftolozane/tazobactam, imipenem/relebactam. The case report detailed the results of genetic analysis of bacterial DNA and determined that Pseudomonas and Klebsiella harbored 4 distinct resistance mechanisms each leading to pan-drug resistance. Initially, the patient was treated for 10 weeks with cefiderocol and eravacycline (a novel tetracycline antibiotic), but the infection persisted, and the Pseudomonas strain became resistant to cefiderocol. The patient continued to suffer from fever and chills, and imaging tests showed new abscesses in the liver clear signs that the infection was not under control. Given the high risk of transplant failure due to these MDR infections, a multidisciplinary team, including microbiologists, infectious disease experts, oncologists, and transplant surgeons, sought emergency access to Zaynich. The antibiotic was administered for 14 days around the time of the liver transplant. The results were remarkable - within 11 days, the patient improved clinically and transferred from ICU to regular floor, and follow-up imaging showed no signs of active infection. Importantly, the patient remained infection-free even after six weeks of completing treatment with Zaynich, making liver transplant successful and allowing doctors to safely resume chemotherapy for the underlying cancer. The authors highlighted the role of Zaynich as a potential treatment option for extensively drug resistant infections with extremely limited/no treatment options. Zaynich is a novel, proprietary antibiotic developed by Wockhardt, combining Zidebactam and Cefepime to combat multi-drug resistant Gram-negative infections. The drug recently completed a global, pivotal Phase III clinical trial, which will support its marketing authorization across international markets. Prior to this, multiple Phase I clinical pharmacology studies involving the Zidebactam/Cefepime combination were successfully conducted in the United States. Zaynich has also completed a multi-indication clinical study in India, specifically targeting carbapenem-resistant infections. To date, more than 50 patients in India and the U.S. suffering from highly resistant infections have been treated with Zaynich under compassionate use programs.
Time of India
11-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Wockhardt exits US generics biz to focus on drug discovery
Mumbai: Wockhardt will exit its loss-making generics business in the US as part of its strategy to enhance focus on innovation with new antibiotic drug discovery and biologics portfolio in insulin. ET was the first to report on July 1 the Mumbai-based drug maker's shift in strategy to become an innovation-driven company and its plans to exit the US generics segment. At the time, chairman Habil Khorakiwala said Wockhardt does not see itself as a generics company. "In fact, in the US, we are exiting will be focused on the biological area and NCE ( new chemical entities ) and strictly on antibiotics," he told ET. "We have revisited what are the strengths and what are the opportunities-one obviously is our new drug discovery-in India and worldwide," said Khorakiwala. He also stressed on the company's focus on biologics portfolio in insulin and GLP1 as another key growth driver. "As part of this transition, the company has taken the decision to exit the US generic pharmaceutical segment, paving the way for deeper focus and investment in its advanced product portfolio," the company said in a regulatory filing on Friday. Wockhardt's US generics business has been incurring losses for the past several years. In FY25, the generics business incurred a loss of nearly $8 million. Wockhardt has filed for voluntary liquidation under Chapter 7 of the US Bankruptcy Code for its US step down subsidiaries, Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals and Wockhardt USA, incorporated in Delaware and wholly-owned subsidiaries of Wockhardt Bio. The decision, effective July 11, enables clean and structured exit from a legacy segment and unlocks management bandwidth and capital for high-impact areas, according to the company. "Continuing in this segment would detract from its broader innovation agenda," it said. Going forward, Wockhardt will focus its efforts on new antibiotic drug discovery where it has established a leadership position globally, with a strong pipeline of differentiated assets while also bolstering its biologicals portfolio in insulin. "By stepping away from the commoditised generics space, Wockhardt is positioning itself to create long-term value through innovation, scientific excellence, and sustainable profitability. The company remains committed to its pharmaceutical operations in India, the UK, Ireland, and other geographies where its businesses continue to deliver strong performance," the company noted. ET had reported that Wockhardt is working on ambitious plans for its "miracle drug" Zaynich , a combination of zidebactam and cefepime that was found to be effective during clinical trials to fight superbugs or bacterial infections that show resistance to a range of existing antibiotic treatments.
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Business Standard
11-07-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Wockhardt exits US generics biz, to focus on innovative portfolio
Mumbai-based pharma major Wockhardt, which is gearing up for the launch of its promising antibiotic candidate Zaynich soon, announced on Friday a shift in its United States (US) operations, deciding to exit the generics pharmaceutical segment in the country. Wockhardt's stock price rose by 3.5% on Friday to ₹1,756 per share, following the announcement after market hours. According to a regulatory filing, the company has filed for voluntary liquidation under Chapter 7 of the US Bankruptcy Code for its two Delaware-incorporated step-down subsidiaries—Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals and Wockhardt USA LLC. This move comes even as the company's US generics business has been incurring losses over the past several years. Wockhardt stated that its generics business had incurred a loss of nearly $8 million in FY2024-25 (FY25) alone. While Wockhardt USA LLC contributed approximately 3% to the company's income in FY25, Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals recorded no income. Morton Grove's net worth stood at 4.6%, primarily from goodwill, while Wockhardt USA's net worth was negative. However, Wockhardt's overall performance has been improving. For FY25, the company reported a net loss of ₹57 crore, compared to ₹472 crore in the previous fiscal. Revenue increased to ₹3,012 crore, up from ₹2,798 crore in FY2023-24. It has also managed to reduce its debt, with net debt standing at ₹1,830 crore in FY25, compared to ₹3,314 crore in FY20. 'Following a comprehensive strategic review, the company has concluded that continuing in this segment would detract from its broader innovation agenda,' the company said in an exchange filing. By exiting the commoditised generics space, Wockhardt is positioning itself to create long-term value through innovation, scientific excellence, and sustainable profitability. The company said this reset would allow for a sharpened focus on building a future-ready business anchored in two key pillars: new antibiotic drug discovery and a biologicals portfolio, particularly in insulin. 'This decision, effective July 11, 2025, enables a clean and structured exit from a legacy segment and unlocks management bandwidth and capital for high-impact areas,' it added. The company had also recently announced plans to launch its new class of antibiotic, Zaynich (WCK5222), targeting complicated gram-negative infections in India this year. The US launch is expected in FY27. Wockhardt estimates that Zaynich will have an addressable market of $7 billion in the US and Europe, and a ₹17,000 crore opportunity in India, bringing the total opportunity to $9 billion. Apart from Zaynich, Wockhardt is also optimistic about other drugs in its antibiotic portfolio (such as Miqnaf or Nafithromycin) and its biotechnology portfolio, including insulins. Miqnaf has already been launched in India and is used to treat Community-Acquired Bacterial Pneumonia (CABP) and Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (RTI). The drug has been granted Qualified Infectious Disease Product (QIDP) status by the USFDA, indicating significant unmet need, as well as Breakthrough Medicinal Product (BMP) designation in Saudi Arabia. Miqnaf is targeting a ₹10,800 crore market opportunity in India with over 96 million potential prescriptions. While exiting the US generics market, the company reaffirmed its commitment to its pharmaceutical operations in India, the United Kingdom (UK), Ireland, and other geographies where its businesses continue to deliver strong performance. In addition to antibiotics, the company is bullish on its biotech capabilities, particularly in diabetes management. Wockhardt sees a significant opportunity in India and emerging markets following Danish major Novo Nordisk's decision to phase out human insulin cartridges. In India, this presents an opportunity of around ₹450 crore, and in emerging markets, the opportunity is approximately $157 million. Wockhardt noted in its investor presentation that with only three players operating in this space in India, it sees significant benefit. Wockhardt's shift towards an innovative portfolio, moving away from plain vanilla generics, comes at a time when Indian pharma firms are increasingly focusing on their innovative portfolios. On Thursday, Glenmark Pharma's American subsidiary signed an exclusive licensing agreement with US-based AbbVie for its oncology and autoimmune diseases asset, ISB-2001, for an upfront payment of $700 million.
Business Standard
11-07-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Wockhardt exits US generic pharma business, files for liquidation of subsidiaries
Mumbai-headquartered pharmaceutical firm Wockhardt Ltd on Friday said that it has taken the decision to exit the United States (US) generic pharmaceutical segment as part of a broader realignment of its global strategy. The company stated that the move is in line with its 'long-term vision to build a differentiated, innovation-driven pharmaceutical enterprise.' The decision follows years of financial losses in the US generics business, including loss of nearly $8 million in FY 2025, it said in a BSE filing. The company further added that it has filed for voluntary liquidation under the US Bankruptcy Code for its wholly owned US subsidiaries, Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Wockhardt USA LLC. The liquidation is effective from July 11. ALSO READ: Wockhardt's novel antibiotic Zaynich eyes $9 billion global market According to the company, this step "enables a clean and structured exit from a legacy segment and unlocks management bandwidth and capital for high-impact areas." The company said the strategic reset aligns with its focus on two main areas: new antibiotic drug discovery and its biologicals portfolio in insulin. However, the firm will continue its pharmaceutical operations in India, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and other international markets, as these operations 'continue to deliver strong performance.' Wockhardt is a research-based global pharmaceutical and biotech company with operations across multiple countries. It employs approximately 2,900 people of 27 nationalities and has manufacturing and research facilities in India, the UK, and Ireland.
