Mumbai-based Sun Pharmaceutical Industries and Bayer have signed an agreement to market and distribute a second brand of Finerenone in India. Finerenone, a patented medicine is indicated to reduce the risk of sustained eGFR decline, end-stage kidney disease, cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and hospitalisation for heart failure in adult patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Under the terms of the agreement, Bayer has granted the non-exclusive rights to Sun Pharma to market and distribute a second brand of Finerenone under the brand name Lyvelsa. Finerenone was first launched by Bayer under the brand name Kerendia in 2022.

Shweta Rai, Country Division Head for Bayer’s Pharmaceuticals Business in South Asia said, “With the introduction of a second brand of Finerenone in India, through our partnership with Sun Pharma, we are advancing Bayer’s commitment of making healthcare accessible to as many patients as possible. India has a high incidence of diabetes and associated renal and cardiac conditions."

Kirti Ganorkar, CEO - India Business, Sun Pharma said, “We are happy to collaborate with Bayer to provide patients access to a new treatment which slows down the progression of chronic kidney disease and reduces the risk of kidney failure associated with Type-2 diabetes." 

Finerenone is different from the existing treatments for CKD in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients. It acts by selectively blocking mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) overactivation, which is thought to contribute to CKD progression and cardiovascular damage. 

Finerenone was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) in July 2021, further granted marketing authorization by the European Commission in February 2022, and subsequently approved in India by the health authority in April 2022.