Zydus Lifesciences’ innovative drug ‘Desidustat tablets’, licensed to the subsidiary of China Medical System Holdings, has been approved for renal anaemia in China by the National Medical Products Administration of China (NMPA). CMS International Development and Management, a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Medical System Holdings (CMS) had obtained an exclusive license for the drug from the company in 2020. Desidustat is discovered, developed and marketed by the company in India under the brand name ‘Oxemia’. 

Desidustat tablets are administered orally and represent a novel, oral Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-Prolyl Hydroxylase Inhibitor (HIF-PHI) for treating anaemia in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients. CKD involves the gradual loss of kidney function and eventually leads to kidney failure. Healthy kidneys naturally secrete a hormone called Erythropoietin (EPO), which stimulates red blood cell production, also known as erythropoiesis. When kidneys are impaired in patients with Chronic Kidney Disease, EPO production is reduced, leading to the development of anaemia. HIF-PHI promotes erythropoiesis by increasing endogenous erythropoietin, reducing hepcidin thereby improving iron availability.

Zydus Lifesciences (formerly known as Cadila Healthcare), a company limited by shares, incorporated and domiciled in India, operates as an integrated pharmaceutical company with business encompassing the entire value chain in the research, development, production, marketing and distribution of pharmaceutical products.