| |JULY 20249SANOFI & BIOVAC LEAD POLIO VACCINE MANUFACTURING CAPABILITIESSUN PHARMA & TAKEDA INK PACT TO MARKET GASTROINTESTINAL DRUGSanofi and Biovac, a Cape Town, South Africa-based biopharmaceutical business, have announced a local manufacturing agreement to produce inactivated polio vaccines (IPV) in Africa. This partnership aims to enable regional manufacturing of polio vaccinations to meet the prospective needs of over 40 African countries. The collaboration with Sanofi establishes Biovac as the first African producer of IPV on and for the African continent, and it supports the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's goal of producing 60 percent of indigenous vaccines in Africa by 2040.Thomas Triomphe, executive vice president, Vaccines, Sanofi, said: "For 40 years, Sanofi has supplied billions of polio vaccine doses globally, supporting the world getting close to polio eradication. But with the Covid-19 pandemic, many routine paediatric vaccination programs were halted or disrupted. Catching up will be key to preventing a rise in cases in many countries worldwide and this Sanofi partnership with Biovac is a step in that direction. Establishing this manufacturing partnership now, ahead of time, is key to enabling Biovac's manufacturing capabilities for future international tenders."Dr Morena Makhoana, chief executive officer, Biovac, said: "We are very proud of this partnership with Sanofi, which will empower Biovac as an African manufacturer to champion polio eradication on and for the continent by bringing manufacturing of IPV doses closer to people needs." POSun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited stated that it has signed a non-exclusive patent licensing deal with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Takeda) to market vonoprazan tablets 10 mg and 20 mg in India under the brand name "Voltapraz". Vonoprazan is a new, orally active potassium competitive acid blocker (PCAB) that is utilized for the treatment of reflux esophagitis and other acid peptic illnesses.Nidlegy is administered intralesionally for four weeks and works by strengthening the immune system against neoplastic tumors. Under the terms of this agreement, the pharmaceutical company gave Sun Pharma non-exclusive patent licensing rights for the marketing of vonoprazan in India.Commenting on the development, Kirti Ganorkar, CEO - India business, Sun Pharma said, "Sun Pharma is a leader in gastroenterology and we are excited to introduce vonoprazan in India under non-exclusive patent license from Takeda. This partnership demonstrates our commitment to gastrointestinal health by providing patients and healthcare practitioners with a novel treatment option to manage reflux esophagitis and other acid peptic disorders." Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is ubiquitous throughout India, regardless of geography or rural/urban location. The prevalence of GERD in the Indian population ranges between 5% and 28.5percent. Age, body mass index (BMI), non-vegetarian diet, tea/coffee intake, tobacco use, and alcohol usage are all risk factors for GERD. PO
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