Dr Reddy’s Laboratories and Aurigene Pharmaceutical Services have announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), a not-for-profit research and development organisation.

The parties will explore a potential collaboration to develop and market novel and improved drugs for the treatment of identified Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) of national and global importance. The parties will also seek to work towards ensuring access of those drugs at affordable prices to patients in need particularly in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) that are disproportionately affected by these NTDs.

The potential partnership will aim to bring DNDi’s expertise in NTDs together with the scientific, technical and commercial capabilities of Aurigene and Dr Reddy’s – access to a pipeline of new chemical entities, pre-clinical studies, network and advocacy on these NTDs by DNDi; phase-wise clinical studies, research and development, commercial manufacturing of the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) and the finished products by Aurigene; distribution and commercialisation of the drugs by Dr Reddy’s.