Takeda’s Trintellix (vortioxetine hydrobromide) 5mg, 10mg and 20mg tablets lose their US new chemical entity (NCE) data exclusivity at the end of September 2018. Trintellix, first approved in September 2013 as Brintellix for treating acute major depressive disorder (MDD) in the US, is the first treatment for MDD approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The brand-name change to Trintellix came into effect in May 2016 to decrease the risk of prescribing and dispensing errors due to name confusion with AstraZeneca’s antiplatelet drug Brilinta (ticagrelor).

Lilly signs licensing pacts with Cipla, Sun and Lupin for baricitinib in COVID-19, with possibly more in store. But will challenger Natco, which has apparently already rolled out its cut-price version of the JAK inhibitor, change tack amid the Indian government's mixed position on compulsory licensing issues in an ongoing court case?

A COVID-19 second wave is wreaking havoc in India but pharma appears to be holding things together for now, stretching resources amid a dip in personnel attendance and supply chain strains. Limited vaccine supplies, a spurt in API prices and an inevitable third wave could mean further turbulence ahead.