Sun Pharma launches ILUMYA for treatment of plaque psoriasis in Japan

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries on Wednesday announced the launch of ILUMYA Subcutaneous Injection 100 mg syringe in Japan for the treatment of plaque psoriasis in adult patients, who have an inadequate response to conventional therapies.

Ilumya is a humanised lgG1/k monoclonal antibody designed to selectively bind to the p19 subunit of IL23 and inhibit its interaction with the IL-23 receptor, leading to the inhibition of the release of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines. One of its key brand-named formulation products, ILUMYA, logged sales of about US$ 94 million in FY20.

Speaking on the announcement, Junichi Nakamichi, Country Head of Sun Pharma Japan stated that ILUMYA is Sun Pharma’s first innovative drug to be launched in the Japanese market and the company was pleased to introduce a new, safe, and effective treatment option for plaque psoriasis to doctors and patients in the country. He further stated that this was an important milestone for Sun Pharma, which has been expanding its product portfolio in Japan.

Sun Pharma is the world's fourth-largest speciality generic pharmaceutical company. Its units produce generics, branded generics, speciality products, over-the-counter (OTC) products, anti-retroviral (ARVs), and APIs.

At 2 pm on Wednesday, the stock of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries was trading at Rs 501.30 per share, down by 1.79 per cent or Rs 9.15 per share on BSE, against a 0.97 per cent decline in the benchmark index. The 52-week high is recorded at Rs 564.90 and the 52-week low is Rs 315.20 on BSE.