The Hindu Business Line : J&J to bring in new line of treatment for blood cancer

Velcade (bortezomib) has got clearance from the Indian regulatory authorities and the drug will be brought into India by Janssen-Cilag, part of Johnson and Johnson (J&J). Significantly, approval for Velcade had been fast-tracked by the US regulatory authority, given its results during the clinical trials.

J&J is focusing on its oncology (cancer-related) product pipeline worldwide and this is the first time that the company is bringing in a therapeutic product into the country, a J&J spokesperson told Business Line. The other products currently in the market are supportive products in the treatment of cancer, he said.

While the price is being finalised, the representative said that it was expected to be pegged at Rs 60,000 for a 3.2 mg vial. The injection has already been launched in the US and Europe.

The product is licensed to J&J by Millenium Pharmaceuticals Inc. And while the product is marketed in the US by Millenium, it is being marketed in other regions by the J&J company for the payment of a royalty, according to data on Millenium's Web site.

Other products from the J&J stable already in the Indian market include Eprex (erythropoetin), for the treatment of renal failure. And the product was recently in the news over labelling the manner in which it is administered. Another J&J product in the market is Durogesic, a patch, used in the treatment of pain during cancer.

Eprex has several copies in the domestic market. But the J&J representative said that Velcade does not have local clones to contend with.

Multiple myeloma is a type of blood-cancer that is under-recognised and has no cure, the official said. And although it represents only one per cent of all cancers, it accounts for two per cent of all cancer deaths. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 73,943 people worldwide developed multiple myeloma in 2000.

Another interesting feature of the product is that it uses the science that was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry last year. Bortezomib works by blocking the proteasome, or the waste-disposers in a cell. It controls how the cell lives and grows. The scientists who discovered understanding of proteasome pathways were awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in October 2004, a J&J note said.

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page