Sun Pharma launches skin cancer treatment drug in US

New Delhi, Jan 16 (PTI) Sun Pharmaceutical Industries on Friday said it has launched skin cancer drug Unloxcyt in the US market.

Unloxcyt (cosibelimab-ipdl) is now available in the US for healthcare professionals

to prescribe for adults with metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (mCSCC) or locally advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (llaCSCC) who are not candidates for curative surgery or curative radiation, the Mumbai-based drug major said in a statement.

“UNLOXCYT is an evolution in checkpoint inhibition, combining durable efficacy with a proven tolerability profile for a group of aCSCC patients who traditionally would struggle to strike that therapeutic balance,” said Richard Ascroft, CEO of Sun Pharma North America.

The medication is available in the US through a limited distribution network of authorised speciality distributors, and one contracted speciality pharmacy, the company said.

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma is among the most common skin cancers worldwide. While early stages are treatable, an estimated 40,000 US patients each year progress to advanced disease, resulting in nearly 15,000 deaths, the company said.

India is the largest supplier of generic medicines with a 20 per cent share in the global supply by manufacturing 60,000 different generic brands across 60 therapeutic categories.

Indian products are shipped to over 200 countries around the globe, with the US, Japan, Australia and Western Europe as the main destinations.

Sun Pharma shares were trading 2.2 per cent down at Rs 1,663.20 apiece on BSE. PTI MSS HVA