Venus Remedies, a research-based global pharmaceutical company has secured third US patent for its antibiotic product – Potentox. Granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office, the patent protects the composition of Potentox and the method of treatment.
The patent provides an exclusivity period for Potentox until May 2027. In addition to this new patent grant, Potentox is protected by a number of other patents from across the globe including India, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, South Africa and Ukraine. Potentox is an antibiotic adjuvant entity (AAE); a new drug product effective in case of Hospital Acquired Pneumoniae and Febrile Neutropenia infections, Quinolones or Aminoglycoside resistant cases.
We see this patent grant as recognition of the capability of not only our company but Indian pharma industry as a whole in the field of pharma research. Potentox US patent has reinstated our capability to bridge the unmet need in the field of antibiotics that would also help in getting the product commercialised in the US markets. We have already initiated for strategic tie-ups with Global Pharma giants,’’ says Dr Mufti Suhail Sayeed, Vice President-Venus Medical Research Centre (VMRC), Venus Remedies.
Infections caused by resistant microorganisms often fail to respond to conventional treatment, resulting in prolonged illness and greater risk of death. Getting a patent grant for Potentox from US at such point in time can prove to be all the more significant for society at large as the drug works synergistically on multi-drug resistant bacteria that not only halts the development of bacterial resistance but also its spread.
As per the latest reports by Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), that healthcare-acquired infections cost hospitals in the US between $35.7 and $45 billion annually. It is estimated that the antibiotic-resistant organisms make up a large part of these infections and result in an estimated eight million extra days of hospitalisation. The portion of excess cost attributable to resistant organisms exceeds $20 billion annually.
Potentox is the result of years of relentless efforts of scientist at Venus Medicine Research Centre. As per Dr Manu Chaudhary, JMD and Director – Research, Venus Remedies, “We have done clinical studies on >500 patients, which has indicated approximately 20-30 per cent reduction in the cost of therapy as compared to conventional therapies being used. Besides this, studies conducted in hospitals across India have also shown that our novel antibiotic Potentox is suitable for the treatment of Nosocomial Pneumonia and Febrile Neutopenia infections.
The company has already been marketing Potentox successfully in India and few of the emerging markets around the globe. The product is growing with a CAGR of 50 per cent since past three years and now Venus is planning to have a pre IND meeting with US FDA for fast track approval of this product. The company is also open for the strategic tie-ups with the international pharma companies.
Globally, the antibiotics market generated sales of $42 billion in 2009, representing 46 per cent of sales of anti-infective agents (which also include antiviral drugs and vaccines) and five per cent of the global pharma market. However, the antibiotics market is maturing; it showed an average annual growth of four per cent over the past five years, out of this US alone contributes 35 per cent of market share which is $12 billion.
EP News Bureau