1 September 2014 - 1 September 2014 - Indian pharmaceutical and biotechnology firm Wockhardt Limited (BOM:532300) said yesterday that the US FDA had granted Qualified Infectious Disease Product (QIDP) designation to its anti-Infective drugs, WCK 771 intravenous (IV) therapy and WCK 2349 solid oral tablet.

Wockhardt is the first Indian pharma group to receive QIDP status for its products, it noted.

Both WCK 771 and WCK 2349 act against the MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) pathogen, which leads to various diseases, ranging from skin infection to severe respiratory infections. Both medicines are efficient against MRSA and have demonstrated potential to treat hospital acquired pneumonia (HAP). The firm will begin Phase III studies of the drugs early in 2015, said its founder and chairman Dr. Habil Khorakiwala.