The Hindu Business Line : Dr Reddy’s new diabetic drug balaglitazone to hit market in 2011

Balaglitazone, a new diabetic drug candidate of Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, is currently undergoing phase III clinical trails and will hit the market by 2011, according to Mr K. Anji Reddy, Founder-Chairman, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd.

“I am very confident about the drug (which has been named after Lord Balaji) and we will be able to market the drug in 65 to 70 per cent of the globe by 2011. We will be meeting the USFDA officials soon in this regard,” Dr Reddy told newspersons, on the sidelines of TiE-ISB Connect 2007 here on Thursday.

In 2005, Dr Reddy’s had entered into a co-development and commercialisation agreement with Denmark-based Rheoscience for the joint development and commercialisation of balaglitazone (DRF 2593), a partial PPAR-gamma agonist, for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Other products

On the other products in the pipeline, Dr Reddy said research on various applications of AMPK (an enzyme that over expresses itself when one does exercise) was on. “This has high relevance in anti-ageing, obesity and diabetes, among others. It could change the way the humankind live,” he said.

Besides, the firm was also working on a biologic drug for rheumatoid arthritis. “The currently available drugs cost $50,000 per annum. The race is on for a smaller molecule. We are working with US-based Genzyme, which had seen our compound DRF 15725. We are also hunting for back-up compounds to face any eventuality,” he said.

A molecule in Reverse Cholesterol Transfer (RCT) area will enter phase I clinical trials in next three months, he added. “We are the front runners in the above three cases and are ready to take necessary risk,” Dr Reddy said.

R&D Budget

In addition, the Hyderabad-based company has eight drug candidates in different areas and another eight in bio-similar segment.

Earlier, while addressing the meet, Mr Reddy said the company was contemplating to increase the R&D budget to $100 million in a phased manner. “This is necessary to take risk, which is a must in discovery efforts. I am asking my CEO, Mr G.V. Prasad, for the hike,” he added.