CIPLA EDGE LOWER AFTER KEYTRUDA PARTNERSHIP WITH QILU PHARMA

Cipla shares traded marginally lower on Friday despite strength in the broader market, following the drugmaker’s strategic partnership with China-based Qilu Pharmaceutical to develop and commercialise a biosimilar of Keytruda. The deal is expected to strengthen Cipla’s oncology and specialty portfolio in the US market. The Cipla stock was down 0.27 percent in late-morning trade, taking the company’s market capitalisation above Rs 1.12 lakh crore. The shares have declined 7.4 percent so far in 2026, compared with an 8.6 percent fall in the benchmark Nifty 50. On September 3, Cipla announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Invagen Pharmaceuticals, had entered into a strategic licensing and supply agreement with Qilu Pharmaceutical for QL2107, a biosimilar of pembrolizumab, which is marketed globally under the Keytruda brand. Under the agreement, Qilu Pharmaceutical will be responsible for the development of QL2107, obtaining regulatory approvals and supplying the product. Cipla, meanwhile, will oversee the commercialisation of the biosimilar in the US. Pembrolizumab is an oncology treatment widely used in cancer care. Cipla said the biosimilar has the potential to expand access to advanced cancer therapies while helping reduce treatment costs. Qilu Pharmaceutical has a broad development pipeline comprising more than 50 biosimilars and over 130 innovative medicines. The partnership brings together Qilu’s research, development and manufacturing capabilities with Cipla’s established commercial presence in the US, potentially strengthening the latter’s position in the oncology and specialty medicines segment.