Sun Pharma announced that one of its wholly-owned subsidiaries has entered into an exclusive patent licensing agreement with H. Lundbeck A/S to market and distribute its own version of Vortioxetine in India under the brand name, Vortidif. The territory of the licensing agreement will only cover India.

Vortioxetine is a novel antidepressant with multimodal activity, which is approved to treat Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in adults. The product is approved in over 80 countries, including the US, EU, Canada and Australia.

Kirti Ganorkar, CEO of India Business, Sun Pharma, said, "Sun Pharma is the leader in the neuro-psychiatry therapy in India and we always endeavour to bring innovative medicines that fill a need gap. MDD is a serious and complicated disorder and Vortidif will serve as an important novel treatment option for patients in India."

MDD is one of the leading causes of disability, affecting approximately 246 million people globally and 35 million people in India. MDD is characterised by pronounced changes in mood coupled with distinct psychological and vegetative changes, including sleep, appetite disturbance, subjective fatigue, loss of motivation and drive, ruminative feelings of guilt and despair, problems maintaining mental focus, and suicidal thinking and behaviour.