Pharma News

The United States has included India, China and Pakistan among 23 countries designated as major drug transit or major illicit drug-producing countries for fiscal year 2027. The designation was submitted to the U.S. Congress on September 15, 2026, as part of the annual U.S. “Major’s List,” which identifies countries considered significant sources or transit points for illicit drugs entering the United States.

Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories has expanded its collaboration with Gilead Sciences through a royalty-free, non-exclusive voluntary licensing agreement covering investigational once-yearly lenacapavir for HIV prevention. The agreement builds on the companies’ existing 2024 licensing arrangement for lenacapavir and is intended to support future manufacturing readiness, technology transfer and supply planning in licensed territories.

Vera Therapeutics has announced final efficacy results from the Phase 3 ORIGIN 3 study of TRUTAKNA™ (atacicept-vymj), reporting sustained stabilization of kidney function and a reduced risk of kidney disease progression in adults with primary IgA nephropathy (IgAN). The final analysis included 428 patients with primary IgAN who were considered at risk of disease progression.

Sanofi and Cheplapharm have announced plans to establish a new strategic partnership focused on the management of mature medicines. Under the proposed agreement, Cheplapharm will take over 20 mature medicines and three Sanofi manufacturing sites worldwide, while Sanofi will receive a 26.4% equity stake in Cheplapharm.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched a new Expedited Investigational New Drug (IND) Pilot Program aimed at reducing the time required to move promising drug candidates from development into first-in-human (FIH) clinical trials in the United States.

Under the pilot, drug sponsors will partner with Qualified Research Institutions (QRIs), which can include academic medical centers, contract research organizations, health networks and other research organizations with relevant scientific and regulatory expertise.

Mohan Babu University (MBU) successfully hosted the two-day National Conference on Integrating AYUSH with Community Medicine (IACMI-2026), sponsored by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR).

GSK plc has announced that Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) has approved a prefilled syringe presentation of Shingrix (Recombinant Zoster Vaccine, RZV) for the prevention of shingles (herpes zoster). The announcement was made on September 10, 2026.