BHARAT Biotech International Ltd (BBIL) has obtained manufacture and marketing licence for recombinant Streptokinase, the ‘clot bluster’ drug, from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).

Claiming to be the first Indian biotechnology company and second only in the world to manufacture the primary drug for dissolving blood clots through the recombinant technology route, BBIL said the commercial licence was granted by the national regulatory authority last week.

By manufacturing Streptokinase indigenously, the costs can be brought down. BBIL’s Streptokinase would be much more economically priced compared to the currently imported one.

The recombinant version scores over its non-recombinant counterpart on several fronts, the chief among them being its ability to prevent excessive bleeding rapidly, the Chairman and Managing Director of BBIL, Dr Krishna M. Ella, said.

BBIL’s recombinant Streptokinase is a protein produced from genetically manipulated Escherichia coli. This enzyme is a first line therapy for management of acute myocardial infarction, deep vein thrombosis, arterial occlusion, etc, a company release said.