Designed for humid climates; to co-partner with Brazilian govt in early May
In line with the ‘Make in India’ campaign, Mumbai-based pharmaceutical company, Rusan Pharma, has launched nicotine patch 2baconil in the Indian market and is looking for a public private partnership (PPP) with the Government of India. The promoters indicated that the company is already in discussion with government agencies from the US, Europe and Mauritius.
The company is to partner with the Brazilian government for 2baconil in early May and will transfer the technology to them five years down the line.
Dr Navin Saxena, Chairman, Rusan Pharma said, “After the announcement of ‘Make in India’ campaign by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we decided to manufacture nicotine patch 2baconil in India from our Uttarakhand facility and then export it. This is the first product which has been launched by an Indian company using its own technology.”
The company’s newly launched product 2baconil patches is a new form of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) which is now available in India for patients seeking treatment for tobacco de-addiction. Though available as an over-the -counter (OTC) product, patients below 18 years will need to seek a doctor’s advice.
Speaking on the need for a ‘Made in India’ NRT, Dr Kunal Saxena, Managing Director, Rusan Pharma said, “Patients using NRTproducts reported that the patch often fell off /got displaced due to the high humidity. Now with the availability of 2baconil, a feasible and affordable alternative is available to the masses as an OTC drug, and has been manufactured keeping in mind South Asian climatic conditions such as humidity.”
The company has made various representations to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of India. Saxena revealed, “The National Tobacco Control Program (NTCP) formulated in 2008-11, in their treatment guidelines had included nicotine patches, but had also mentioned non-availability at the point of time. Available as an OTC product now, 2baconil solves this problem, even as the NTCP has stated that new guidelines are to be expected soon.”
Navin Saxena says, “With six trillion cigarettes being smoked a year in India, our vision is to bring products into the market, which will not just be quality driven but also be convenient to users, through newer delivery systems like transdermal patches, which ensure higher patient compliance and ease of use.”
Over the years, globally, several studies have been conducted on nicotine patches across close to 5000 patients for tobacco cessation by various reputed institutions. The company has divided the de-addication treatment into three phases. For the first month the user gets a daily dose of 21 mg per patch, 14 mg per patch per day for the second month and 7 mg per patch per day in the third month. The patches will cost Rs 120, Rs 95, and Rs 85 respectively. The company is also looking to conduct a post-marketing surveillance study using their product on the Indian populace.
Kunal Saxena informs, “ “Since the NTCP is a national programme, we have initiated discussions with several states across the North East and Karnataka in the south, to create awareness about the product and in order to work with the government. Considering the USP of our product, we expect to clock revenues worth Rs 30-50 crores in the first two years of the launch.”
Commenting on the company’s future plans, Navin Saxena says, “We will set up a centre of excellence research in Kandla, which will be known as Navin Saxena Research and Technology (NSRT). We will focus both on emerging as well as BRICS markets.”
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