Following cyberattack, chief information officer Mukesh Rathi said Dr Reddy's was “anticipating all services to be up within 24 hours,” adding that “we do not foresee any major impact on our operations due to this incident.”

RB CEO Laxman Narasimhan sees the potential for the company to establish a global supplements business built on the successes it has enjoyed in the US and China. The comments came as RB reported solid growth in the third quarter, despite struggles for its OTC brands.

With the impact of pandemic-prompted disturbances waning, analysts forecast better Q2 numbers for Indian pharma firms, with some including Glenmark and Cipla seen emerging winners. But after doing well in the quarter, Gilead’s licensees might see remdesivir demand tapering somewhat in Q3 post the WHO finding the antiviral ineffective in COVID-19 treatment.

The UK backs the world's first COVID-19 human challenge studies to accelerate research – though the first results will not be ready until mid-2021.