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Our Bureau

Bangalore, Oct. 9 NeoBiocon, Biocon’s Abu Dhabi-based joint venture, launched Abraxane, a nanotech- based drug for breast cancer, in the UAE.

Biocon has the licence to market the drug, a product of Abraxis BioScience, Inc, in South and West Asia according to an agreement they struck in August 2007. Abraxane entered the national market a year ago.

NeoBiocon is a 50:50 venture of Biocon and Dr B.R. Shetty, MD & CEO of UAE-based Neopharma. The drug is given to patients for whom combination therapy for metastatic disease has failed or the disease relapses within six months of chemotherapy. It was launched in the UAE as a single-use 100 mg vial.

“The launch provides breakthrough therapeutics to cancer patients in the UAE,” said Ms Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Biocon’s CMD, in a release.

“The launch of Abraxane in the UAE represents a major strategic step in our plan to provide safer and more effective cancer treatments on a global scale,” according to the Abraxis Chairman and CEO, Mr Patrick Soon-Shiong. “Our marketing agreement with Biocon covers more than 10 countries, and we are working closely with national authorities throughout the region to receive regulatory approvals and commence marketing activities as soon as practicable.”

The drug is a protein-bound chemotherapy agent which combines paclitaxel with albumin — naturally occurring human protein — to deliver the drug without using solvents. The solvent-free biotech drug allows for 49 per cent higher dose and administered in 30 minutes compared to three hours for solvent-based paclitaxel (Taxol.)

According to Mr Sumit Bhanot, Head-Operations and Marketing, NeoBiocon, “Cancer rates in the UAE are lower than those seen in Western countries, but are rising with increasing life expectancy and changing lifestyles.”.

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