Zydus Shares Slip Even as USFDA Clears Phase III Trial

July 23, 2026July 23, 2026

Zydus Lifesciences shares slipped 2% on the NSE on Thursday, even after the company cleared a big regulatory hurdle for a new drug trial.

The news itself is genuinely encouraging. Zydus has received approval to start a Phase III trial of its drug Desidustat, aimed at treating anaemia in people with sickle cell disease.

The trial is being run jointly with the Indian Council of Medical Research, and comes after a Phase II study that met its main goal and showed the drug worked well without serious side effects.

The Phase III study will run for 203 days and enrol 164 patients. It is designed as a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, meaning neither doctors nor patients will know who is getting the real drug during the study, which helps keep the results fair and unbiased.

The US drug regulator has already granted Desidustat Orphan Drug Designation for both sickle cell disease and a related blood disorder called beta-thalassaemia. That status usually comes with extra support for developing treatments aimed at rare conditions.

Sickle cell disease affects a large number of people in India, particularly in tribal communities. Government data puts the number at around 20 million people living with the condition, with roughly 50,000 new cases born every year. Zydus Managing Director Sharvil Patel called it an area of significant unmet medical need.

Desidustat isn’t a new drug for Zydus. It is already approved in India for anaemia linked to chronic kidney disease, and picked up a similar approval in China earlier this year.

As of early afternoon, Zydus shares were trading at Rs 1,118.50 on the NSE, down 0.69%, or Rs 7.80, from the previous close of Rs 1,126.30.

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