spot_img
27.5 C
Philippines
Friday, March 29, 2024

India beckons

- Advertisement -

"It will be a pity if we pass off this chance to partner with them."

 

Don’t look now but India is slowly but surely getting heavily involved in the race to develop the much-awaited vaccine and cure for COVID-19. While everybody was focused on Chinese, US and some leading European pharma companies and research centers, five multi-awarded and globally competitive Indian enterprises have been given the go signal by the Indian Drugs Controller General – the equivalent of the Food and Drug Administration in most countries – to commence with the rigorous processes involved in vaccine and drugs making.

Two of these, Biocon Limited, a Bangalore-based company and Serum Institute of India, are actually listed as world class, innovative essential drugs and pharmaceuticals publicly listed entities. Even as they are considered major league participants in the highly competitive pharma and therapeutics industry, these two companies distinguish themselves as enablers of the medical and treatment needs of the vast masses of the global population whose requirements are largely unmet and the treatment costs far beyond their capacity to pay.

Biocon has developed and commercialized a differentiated portfolio of novel biologics, biosimilars, and complex small molecule APIs in India and several key global markets, as well as, generic formulations in the U.S. and Europe. A leading global insulin producer, the company has provided over two billion doses of recombitant human insulin worldwide, giving diabetes patients relief and eventual treatment from this disease. And, true to its calling, the company has offered this high quality insulin in a kind of “generic” form called rh-insulin at almost 90 percent off the price of branded ones for procurement by governments and NGOs in low and middle income countries.

Recently, BioCon and another Indian biotech company, Seagull BioSolutions, partnered to develop a “novel customized non-replicating measles virus based vaccine, a latest antigen therapy that can be commercialized quickly” which can undergo human trials in six months and, if proven effective, into commercial production in another six months. As well, Biocon on its own is also developing two new generation repurposed drugs for treatment and an antibody diagnostic kit.

- Advertisement -

One is CytoSorb, a novel blood purification therapy done through dialysis. The drug is indicated for sepsis to reduce excessive levels of inflammation causing agents in the blood. By purifying the blood using this therapy, potentially deadly systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), a major cause of death in many COVID-19 patients, can be reduced.

Another therapy that Biocon is attempting is reusing Itolizumab, the world's first novel anti-CD6 antibody developed by Biocon to treat psoriasis. The drug is also found effective in treatment of other autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

The company noted that "Clinical trials among COVID-19 patients in Cuba, from where we originally licensed it for development in early 2000s, has shown excellent results to reduce inflammations in lungs and other organs. For which trials in India and have got regulatory permissions,"

As an aside, I am told that sometime back, Philippine health authorities and some NGOs were actually approached by groups so impressed with Biocon’s advances and, of course, mass enabler touch and advised them that they can make representations with the biotech company. Sadly, this initiative never took off as the Big Pharma guys got wind of it and cut it off before it could even get to the discussion stage. To think that Biocon is also a leading global player for biosimilars and APIs for statins, immunosuppressants and other specialty molecules, all of which can be procured at almost bargain prices. This may now be the time to get back to Biocon and start a conversation on this and other possible cooperative arrangements to give our own local pharma industry a shot in the arm. Well, hopefully this time we will finally get to sit down not only with BioCon but with the other innovative Indian pharma and therapeutics companies like Serum Institute of India. “¨”¨The world’s largest vaccine producer in terms of number of doses produced, Serum Institute manufactures around 1.3 billion doses of vaccines each year. In addition to its work on the Covid 19 vaccines, it is also currently developing an intra-nasal swine flu vaccine, which can be used in our continuing efforts to stem the ASF disease ravaging our swine population. In 2016, with support from US-based Mass Biologics of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, it invented a fast-acting anti-rabies agent, Rabies Human Monoclonal Antibody (RMAb), also known as Rabishield. In March 2020, the company started manufacturing COVID-19 vaccine for some strains of COVID-19 virus, created by the Jenner Institute at Oxford University.

BioCon and Serum Institute are just two of the better known Indian companies involved in the race for a vaccine and cure for COVID-19. In addition to them, there are a number of other companies whose research and expertise on vaccines and other therapeutics can be engaged and encouraged to work with our own local companies to produce much needed medicines and medical equipment for our growing population. It will be a pity if we pass off this chance to partner with them now as we struggle to get our medical response and health delivery system in place to cater to our needs.

- Advertisement -

LATEST NEWS

Popular Articles