- The Indian pharmaceutical industry is expected to grow at a compound annual rate (CAGR) of 12% and reach $130 billion by 2030, industry executives said at an industry event. “There is a strong push from the government towards creating an ecosystem for innovation so that India can become a leader in discovery of drugs and medical technology,” said S.V. Veeramani, vice-chairman, Pharmexcil. “Currently, the Indian pharmaceutical market is valued at around $50 billion, out of which almost $25 billion constitutes the export market. The domestic market will touch $130 billion by 2030 out of which over 60% will only be exports,’ he added. Ravi Uday Bhaskar, director general, Pharmexcil said: “Indian pharmaceutical exports have recorded an impressive growth of around 5% in the current financial year. Despite having global challenges, we have exported over $25 billion in the biggest market, which means about 30% of our exports are going to the US.” (The Hindu)
- Dolutegravir (DTG), the wonder drug recently added to the basket of medicines to treat HIV in the country, is causing weight gain, diabetes, hypertension and sleep disorders, according to several of its users. While the drug has been lauded for having fewer side effects in comparison to previous regimens, it is leading to dropouts in a section of younger patients because of the after-effects. In 2016, WHO recommended Dolutegravir-based regimens as the preferred first-line and second-line treatment due to better tolerability and superior efficacy in suppressing the virus. In India, Dolutegravir was introduced in combination with Tenofovir and Lamivudine in the national programme in 2020. In addition to the TLD combination, dolutegravir is administered as a standalone drug in selected patients with HIV-TB coinfection. Most patients have to take a single pill daily with TLD regime. However, doctors at the forefront of HIV care in Mumbai are not overtly worried. Dr Niteen Karnik, head of medicine, Sion Hospital, said dolutegravir was one of the better drugs with manageable side-effects. "Many previous ART medicines led to kidney disease and even neurological complications but we haven't seen such severe problems with DTG," he said. He added DTG doesn't cause diabetes but interacts with other drugs, which probably impacts their efficacy in controlling diabetes. (TOI)
- Drugmaker Horizon Therapeutics PLC said it is fielding takeover interest, as large pharmaceutical companies compete for fast-growing medicines to fuel sales. Horizon is Nasdaq-listed, but headquartered in Ireland and with operations in Dublin, Deerfield, Ill., and a new facility in Rockville, Md. It develops medicines to treat rare autoimmune and severe inflammatory diseases that are currently sold mostly in the U.S. Its biggest drug, Tepezza, is used to treat thyroid eye disease, an affliction characterized by progressive inflammation and damage to tissues around the eyes. Horizon, which develops medicines for rare and immune diseases, said it is “engaged in highly preliminary discussions with Amgen, Janssen Global Services, LLC and Sanofi SA. (The Wall Street Journal)
- AstraZeneca India announced that the company has received the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization’s (CDCSCO) approval for their anti-diabetic drug Dapagliflozin in the treatment of adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD). According to the pharma major, Dapagliflozin is the first and only anti-diabetic drug approved to significantly reduce the risk of sustained eGFR (estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate), cardiovascular deaths and hospitalizations due to heart failure in adults with progressive chronic kidney disease. This approval is applicable for both diabetic and non-diabetic CKD patients.?CKD is progressive disease and continues to be the major cause of morbidity and mortality, with adverse outcomes of kidney failure and premature death. Studies show that the prevalence of CKD in India is estimated to be 17.2 percent and nearly 10 million patients may be on stage 4 CKD. AstraZeneca’s Dapagliflozin is an oral anti-diabetes drug which has shown increasing benefits in not only preventing heart failure but also in managing chronic kidney disease and Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction irrespective of Diabetes status, the company claims. (Financial express)
- Cardiology, one of the fastest growing therapies after diabetes, is all set to witness intense action in the pharma retail market as a blockbuster drug is going off patent. Major companies including Natco, Cipla, Torrent, Lupin, Sun Pharma and USV are readying plans to enter the Rs 24,000-crore space to get a slice of the opportunity, with Swiss major Novartis's blockbuster cardiology drug losing patent protection in January. JB Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd (JB Pharma), announced a substantial price decrease of approximately 50% for the critical heart failure drug 'Azmarda'.?Azmarda, which contains the patented molecule Saccubutril-Valsartan? is indicated for Heart failure which ails 8 to 12 million people in the country. After the price reduction, Azmarda (Saccubutril-Valsartan?), 50 mg will be available at INR 39.6 per tablet as compared to INR 78 per tablet. HF patients were traditionally prescribed only ARBs (Angiotensin Receptor Blockers) / AI (Ace Inhibitors) as the main medication. Sacubitril+ Valsartan, launched in 2017, is considered superior to ARBs/AIs in raising EF (Ejection Fraction), hence highly effective for HFrEF patients. Sacubitril+ Valsartan is currently prescribed to 30-35% of HFrEF patients while doctors believe the share can go up to 50-65% with the right pricing. As per IQVIA, MAT Sep 22 data Saccubutril- Valsartan? is now an INR 500+ crores market with a 3-year CAGR of ~30%. The molecule is presently patented by Novartis AG, Switzerland and currently, four companies including Novartis are serving the Indian market. The molecule is expected to go off-patent in January 2023. Presently Azmarda is the third largest brand in the category capturing 17% market share with IQVIA MAT OCT'22 sales of INR 93.5 crores.?In April' 22, JB Pharma acquired the Azmarda brand from Novartis AG, Switzerland for the India region for a consideration of INR 246 crores. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death globally. The World Health Organization estimates that CVDs will account for over 35% of all deaths in India by 2030, up from 25% as of 2016. Affordable versions of the blockbuster drug are expected to hit retail chemists in January, reducing the cost of the therapy by nearly half. A similar trend was witnessed in another chronic therapy when cheaper versions of US Merck's diabetes blockbuster drug Januvia (Sitagliptin) hit the market in July, slashing patients' bill by nearly a third. The drug enjoys a near 40% compound annual growth rate (CAGR). It is one of the fastest growing molecules in the cardiology segment. (Cision, TOI)
The above is based on my own personal research and does not reflect my organisation’s views.
