Mumbai: Wockhardt Ltd, the first Indian company to file a New Drug Application with the US FDA, is now looking to cement its position even as its Zaynich superbug antibiotic is expected to launch in mid 2026. The company’s Foviscu (WCK 4282) antibiotic has achieved a high clinical cure rate of 93.23% in its Phase 3 trials, the company said in a press release. This comes after the company’s other four antibiotics, Emrok, Emrok O, Miqnaf, and Zaynich, have all moved a step forward in their respective Phase 3 trials, with the hope that they’ll be launched across markets soon.
Currently, Miqnaf has already been launched in India, mostly to treat respiratory infections. After taking 14 years through the discovery and application to treat multi-drug resistant superbugs, Wockhardt’s Chairman, Dr Habil Khorakiwala, is now looking to cement its lead in the space, with individual drug candidates designed to diagnose stubborn conditions that have become challenging to treat due to antibiotic resistance.
With multi-drug resistant (MDR) infections becoming a rising health concern, Workhardt is looking to cement its industry-first drug discovery to become the only solution required to treat the condition.
The responsibility no one wanted to take
Many large pharmaceutical companies have paused their antibiotic development due to lower commercial returns, with Workhardt taking the lead here. The challenge with MDR is expected to worsen over the years, as the viruses responsible for various ailments have mutated to develop resistance against commonly used antibiotics.
How Workhardt aims to solve it
To commercialise its drugs, Dr Khorakiwala is looking to building its own commercial infrastructure in the US, besides exploring multiple strategies for a global launch. The company is currently in talks with a leading merchant banker and is also conducting discussions with potential partners for helping to expand its MDR antibiotics’s reach worldwide.
