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Lupin developing a new HIV drug delivery system
(Ecomonic Times, The (India) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Feb. 14--MUMBAI, India -- The Indian pharmaceutical industry's prowess in chemistry has not just enabled it to become the pillmaker to the world, it has also brought to the fore some innovative technologies to improve compliance among patients. One new product that is currently under development is a once-a-day anti-retroviral pill and has a potential to revolutionise HIV therapy.
Mumbai-based Lupin, the company that has developed this system, is in talks with the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the clinical development of the product. The new drug delivery system (NDDS) for anti-retroviral drugs used in the treatment of HIV has a combination of anti-retroviral drugs.
Lupin chairman, Dr DB Gupta, told ET: "This new platform is an innovation, which will bring down the number of tablets that the patient has to take." Currently, patients on anti-retrovirals have to take a number of pills. A combination of drugs is used to ensure that the virus does not develop resistance easily.
However, this means that the patient has to take too many pills through the day. Lupin's NDDS promises to bring it down to a single pill a day. "The product is currently undergoing clinical trials," Dr Gupta said. The trials are being conducted by the WHO and Lupin is providing the product for the clinical studies.
Once the product clears the trials, the WHO will start the initial marketing of the drug in 22 high burden countries, mostly in Africa and Asia. According to Dr Gupta, it should take less than a year for the product to become available in the market. However, though the new product will be more patient friendly, it is likely to be a little more expensive than the existing treatment protocol.
Lupin has patented the platform for this NDDS and does not expect any other player to launch a similar product. Other Indian companies like Ranbaxy, too, have developed products that have revolutionised treatment protocols. A few years ago, Ranbaxy developed a once-a-day ciprofloxacin. The product was licensed out to the innovator of ciprofloxacin -- Bayer.
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