Cipla ties up with Roche to sell 2 cancer drugs in India

New Delhi: Drug firm Cipla said it has entered into an agreement with Roche Pharma to promote and distribute the latter's cancer drugs in India.

The pharma major will distribute Tocilizumab and Syndyma -- the second brand of Roche's cancer therapy bevacizumab -- in India.

This partnership is in line with Cipla and Roche's efforts to improve healthcare and increase access to innovative, life-changing medicines in India, particularly to patients who currently do not have access to them, Cipla said in a filing to BSE.

Commenting on the development, Cipla MD & Global CEO Umang Vohra said: "The prevalence of cancer and rheumatoid arthritis is widely spread across India, and Cipla can contribute to provide broader access to innovative medicines like tocilizumab and bevacizumab."

"At Roche, improving access to the critical medicines that patients need is an integral part of what we do," Roche Pharma India MD Lara Bezerra said.

This partnership will significantly advance "our efforts to expand the reach of, and improve access to, our innovative medicines," she added.

This will also enable Roche to focus on bringing new, transformative medicines to patients in India, Bezerra said.

"As Roche, we will continue to collaborate with various stakeholders to help transform healthcare in India," she added.