MUMBAI, Jan. 22 -- Zydus Lifesciences has launched its biosimilar of anti-cancer drug nivolumab in India after receiving clearance from the Delhi High Court last week, pricing it at a fraction of the patented version.

Launched under the brand name Tishtha, the drug is priced at Rs.13,950 for a 40-mg dose and Rs.28,950 for a 100-mg dose, the company said in a release on Thursday. "The two-strength portfolio enables oncologists to optimize dosing and minimize wastage, a key driver of treatment economics in immunotherapy," it said, adding that the patient pool for this drug is over 500,000.

Nivolumab is a monoclonal antibody immunotherapy used to treat several advanced cancers, including lung and head-and-neck cancers, and is among the few...