The Hindu Business Line : Cadila Pharma launches acid control drug

CADILA Pharmaceuticals Ltd (CPL) has become the first company in the world to launch Rabeprazole in an intravenous dosage form. (Rabeprazole belongs to a group of drugs called proton pump inhibitors used for acid control.)

Announcing this on Friday, Mr I.A. Modi, Chairman, Cadila Pharma , said the company had filed for a global patent for Rabeloc IV.

The company, a major player in the Rs 655-crore anti-peptic ulcerant market in India, is eyeing a huge market in the US, where it is likely to enter into a licensing arrangement with a local player.

It is expected to wrest the initiative from Johnson & Johnson, US, which bought out the rights on the Rabeprazole molecule from Eisai, Japan in the late 90s.

"With this, we have proved that Indian pharma companies can be innovative and develop newer applications to suit the market requirements. Rabeloc IV was developed in response to persistent demand from gastroenterologists and gastro-surgeons across the country. The drug has been priced as low as Rs 45 per 20 mg vial so as to make it affordable to Indian patients in critical stage and this is one drug that can be administered without any fear of negative drug interaction," Mr Modi said.

Dr K.R. Palaniswamy, President elect, Indian Society of Gastroenterology, said the IV formulation of Rabeprazole from Cadila Pharmaceuticals had given excellent results during clinical trials.

He was confident that the drug would be useful for patients facing life threatening situations.

According to Dr Sudhansu Patwari, a gastroenterelogist from Ahmedabad, the greatest advantage of Rabeloc IV was that it steadied the Ph factor of blood at levels close to six for longer durations than oral formulations.

"The Rabeloc IV has the capacity to sustain the Ph value at around six for 18-20 hours unlike the oral formulations that last only for three to four hours. We have recommended six-hourly dosages to be on the safe side," Dr Patwari said.

While the domestic market for gastroenterology drugs is estimated at Rs 1,720 crore, Cadila Pharmaceuticals' presence in the Rs 392-crore proton pump inhibitors market is Rs 90 crore.

The Ahmedabad-based pharmaceuticals company may now be looking to cash in on its new invention that gives it an edge in the global market - for the drug can be used in primary therapy to prevent recurrent bleeding to the extent of avoiding surgical intervention.

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