Driven by a purpose of Good Health Can't Wait, global pharmaceutical company Dr. Reddy's Laboratories is celebrating its 40th year of business in 2024, with a growing portfolio of products and services including active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), generics, branded generics, biosimilars and over the counter medicines.
Not only is it committed to providing access to affordable and innovative medicines, Dr. Reddy’s also sets the bar high in terms of environmental stewardship and ambitious ESG goals. Indeed, these efforts have not gone unnoticed, positioning the company as the sole Indian pharma player on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index 2023, and earning it a Gold Rating from Ecovadis, rating it among the top 5 per cent of companies assessed by the global sustainability assessment platform.
Industry firsts
With major markets including Europe, the USA, India, Russia & CIS countries, China and Brazil, Dr. Reddy’s UK head office and R&D centre is based in Cambridge, currently home to 100 staff focused on generating even more industry firsts for the company – not least when it comes to helping people tackle the symptoms of hayfever.
“Around 10 million people in the UK suffer from seasonal allergies[i], and the number of people with hay fever symptoms is rising[ii],” says Kristine Oberte, UK Country Head for Dr. Reddy’s. “Over the past 30 years, the number of sufferers has trebled, and 37% of people have reported developing symptoms for the first time in the past five years, according to a poll by Allergy UK[iii].”
New Histallay tackles seasonal rhinitis
Luckily for sufferers, fexofenadine 120 mg, the active ingredient in Dr. Reddy’s new seasonal rhinitis brand Histallay, was switched from prescription medicine to OTC, making the product available for even more people without prescription throughout UK pharmacies and groceries.
“Fexofenadine has been a leading prescribed molecule for many years in the UK, gaining the status of number one prescribed antihistamine[iv] in the market before receiving the status of GSL (General Sales List medicine) in 2022,” explains Oberte – a key switch which she says has given patients “more self-care options for hayfever”.
The effect of seasonal allergic rhinitis on sufferers
A common allergy with a range of symptoms including sneezing, coughing, and itchy throat and eyes, hayfever can last for months and is usually worse when the pollen count is at its highest between late March and September, especially when it's warm, humid and windy.
Managing hayfever
While there’s no cure for hayfever, medicines such as Histallay can help manage the condition. “Fexofenadine is one of the most effective anti-allergy medications, if it is taken early”, says Oberte, “and because Histallay is available without prescription people can start the treatment immediately without waiting for a doctor's appointment.”
Dr. Reddy’s recently engaged survey experts Ipsos to conduct qualitative research to help it better understand allergy sufferers in the UK, and the advice and support they need.
“Ipsos performed the study and our team at Dr. Reddy’s analysed the resulting report very carefully to understand patients better”, says Oberte. “Qualitative research is designed to be illustrative and tells us what people think and why they hold these views, and what we discovered was that most of the respondents were dissatisfied with their current allergy treatment.”
Wider access to fexofenadine
The company is hopeful that this dissatisfaction could be set to change. “Our expertise in the allergy sector has already allowed us to become a leader in the UK’s prescription fexofenadine market”, says Oberte, “and now the launch of Histallay offers wider access to fexofenadine”.
In pack sizes of 10 or 30 tablets, Histallay is indicated in adults and children 12 years and older[v] for the relief of symptoms associated with seasonal allergic rhinitis.
Each Histallay 120 mg film-coated tablet contains the equivalent to 112 mg of fexofenadine hydrochloride – a non-sedating H1 antihistamine shown in human studies to demonstrate an antihistamine effect beginning within one hour and lasting 24 hours[vi].
It can be used once a day for up to 12 months[vii], and is lactose- and gluten-free, with a three-year shelf-life. In addition, as it is non-drowsy in most people patients may drive or perform tasks requiring concentration – it is even authorised by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for pilots when flying[viii].
Looking forward
As for the future of Dr. Reddy’s, Oberte says: “Our founder envisioned building a business lasting for the next 500 years and that is a vision we continue in the UK. We are about to bring a novel treatment for migraine patients, Nerivio, to the market – a prescribed remote electrical neuromodulation (REN) medical device, a drug-free solution to treat and prevent migraines – and we are also building strong relationships with our partners. We are here for the long term and committed to investing and further strengthening our contribution to the country's healthcare system.”
Further information:
Histallay 120mg Film-Coated Tablets prescribing information, including boxed warning: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/15196/smpc#about-medicine
References:
[i] M L Levy, D Price, X Zheng, C Simpson, P Hannaford, A Sheikh: Inadequacies in UK primary care allergy services: national survey of current provisions and perceptions of need; Clin Exp Allergy. 2004 Apr;34(4): 518-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2222.2004.1945.x.
[ii] Surviving hay fever: A guide for sufferers: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/seasonal-advice/health-wellbeing/pollen/surviving-hay-fever Accessed December 2023.
[iii] https://www.allergyuk.org/types-of-allergies/hayfever/ Accessed December 2023.
[iv]the #1 UK antihistamine by volume of packs dispensed from Jan 23 to July 23, as per the volume market report by IQVIA. IQVIA report extract: 'Antihistamine R06A total fexofenadine 120 mg 30 tablets pack volume dispensed in the UK market' as accessed on 26.10.2023. and it is now available without prescription.
[v]IPSOS Consumer research among users of anti-allergy products, Aug 2023
[vi] Histallay SmPC, see https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/15196/smpc#about-medicine
[vii] Robert A. Nathan, Jolene Mason, David I. Bernstein, William C. Howland III, Harold B Kaiser, Eli O. Meltzer & Nathan Segall: Long-Term Tolerability of Fexofenadine in Healthy Volunteers; Clinical Drug Investigation volume 18, pages 317–328 (1999).
[viii] What Over-the-Counter (OTC) medications can I take and still be safe to fly? https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/licenses_certificates/medical_certification/medications/OTCMedicationsforPilots.pdf.
