Now Reading: DCGI approves Dr Reddy’s Zytorvi for esophageal cancer
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DCGI approves Dr Reddy’s Zytorvi for esophageal cancer
The Story in Brief
Dr Reddy's Laboratories has received Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approval for Zytorvi (toripalimab) in combination with cisplatin and paclitaxel for the first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable advanced, recurrent, or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). This is the drug's second approved indication in India after nasopharyngeal carcinoma, which Dr Reddy's launched in November 2024.
ESCC accounts for about 80% of esophageal cancer cases in India. The approval is supported by the Phase 3 JUPITER-06 trial, which showed the toripalimab combination reduced the risk of disease or death by 42% compared with chemotherapy alone. Median overall survival was 17.7 months with the combination versus 12.9 months with chemotherapy alone. Esophageal cancer was the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in India in 2024, accounting for 8.1% of all cancer deaths, The Hindu reports.
Dr Reddy's holds commercialisation rights for toripalimab across 21 countries under a 2023 agreement with Junshi Biosciences. Toripalimab is also approved by the USFDA, the European Medicines Agency, and the UK MHRA. M.V. Ramana, CEO of Global Generics at Dr Reddy's, said the approval is an important step in expanding immunotherapy access to patients with advanced ESCC.
Indian Opinion Analysis
All four outlets report the same facts from the Dr Reddy's press release: DCGI approval for Zytorvi in combination with cisplatin and paclitaxel for advanced ESCC, backed by the JUPITER-06 trial showing a 42% reduction in risk of disease or death and median overall survival of 17.7 months versus 12.9 months with chemotherapy alone. The Hindu adds an epidemiological detail: esophageal cancer was the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in India in 2024, accounting for 8.1% of cancer deaths. Business Standard appends a syndication disclaimer. The remaining coverage is uniform straight agency-style wire copy, with no editorial divergence across sources. The approval expands Zytorvi's use beyond nasopharyngeal carcinoma, which Dr Reddy's launched in November 2024, making India the third country to access the drug.
Coverage: 3 sources, 3 neutral
Sources (3): Syndicated copy (carried by economictimes.indiatimes.com, business-standard.com), thehindubusinessline.com (neutral report), thehindu.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
Update, 21 October 2026: this story now draws on 4 sources.
