Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd. and Bayer announced that both companies have entered into a partnership to market and distribute a second brand of Vericiguat in India. Under the terms of this agreement, Bayer has granted non-exclusive rights to Dr. Reddy's under the brand name Gantra.

Vericiguat, a soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulator, in India, is indicated, along with guideline-based medical therapy, in adults with symptomatic chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (less than 45%), following a recent event of worsening heart failure which required hospitalization or outpatient intravenous (IV) diuretics.

Vericiguat works on a pathway not currently targeted by existing heart failure treatments and can reduce the combined risk of cardiovascular death and heart failure hospitalization in such patient. India has between 8-10 million people with heart failure, making it one of the largest populations with this condition.

Shweta Rai, Managing Director, Bayer Zydus Pharma and Country Division Head (CDH) for Bayer's Pharmaceuticals Business in South Asia said, "Despite therapy, chronic heart failure patients can experience disease progression that disrupts their lives and leads to worsening heart failure events. Vericiguat can help slow down disease progression, reduce hospital admissions and improve their chances of survival. The introduction of a second brand of vericiguat in India, through our partnership with Dr. Reddy's is a reaffirmation of our commitment to making innovative healthcare solutions accessible to as many patients as possible. We are excited about the possibilities this partnership with Dr. Reddy's presents in improving health outcomes for patients with chronic HF, following a recent event of worsening heart failure."

M.V. Ramana, Chief Executive Officer, Branded Markets (India and Emerging Markets), Dr. Reddy's said: "Strengthening our chronic therapy portfolio in India continues to be a focus area for us. Vericiguat is a first-in-class sGC stimulator indicated for adults with symptomatic, chronic HF and ejection fraction less than 45% following worsening heart failure. The addition of Vericiguat bolsters our heart failure management portfolio that includes Cidmus, Daplo and beta blockers. The partnership with Bayer is part of Dr. Reddy's continuous efforts to make innovative medicines available to patients in India through strategic collaborations. We will use our strengths in marketing and distribution to widen access to this novel treatment in metros and beyond into tier-I and tier-II towns in India."