AstraZeneca gets extension for Meronem withdrawal till August 31

New Delhi: AstraZeneca Pharma India has got another month's extension from its parent firm AstraZeneca UK to sell anti-bacterial drug Meronem in India due to delay in the divestment of AstraZeneca's global rights to Meronem.

"The company has received a letter from AstraZeneca UK Limited to further extend the date of withdrawal of Meronem from July 31, 2017 to August 31, 2017, due to the delay in the divestment of AstraZeneca's global right to Meronem," AstraZeneca Pharma said in a BSE filing.

In August last year, AstraZeneca Pharma India had announced that it will stop selling anti-bacterial drug Meronem in India following a global deal by its parent AstraZeneca UK to sell its small molecule antibiotics business to Pfizer Inc.

Meronem is used for the treatment of serious infections in hospitalised patients.

The product is currently one of the company's principal products which generated 18 per cent total turnover of the firm in fiscal ended March 31, 2016.

However, in December last year AstraZeneca Pharma India said it has got an extension from AstraZeneca UK to sell Meronem in India for the next six months over delay in the divestment of AstraZeneca's global right to Meronem.