Company will focus on making medicines affordable

After the launch of India’s first indigenously developed recombinant epidermal growth factor, the Hyderabad-based vaccines and biotherapeutics company, Bharat Biotech International hopes to launch a slew of products over the next year.

These products include vaccines for rabies, Hepatitis A, rotavirus and recombinant malaria, which are at various stages of development. The epidermal growth factor branded REGEN-D is a cream that is expected to revolutionise treatment for diabetic foot ulcers, second-degree burns and donor site skin grafts. The product developed through unique public-private collaboration with the Institute of Genomics and Integrated Biology (IGIB), Delhi, has been introduced in two strengths for diabetic foot ulcers and burns and skin grafts.

According to estimates, in India around 40,000 patients undergo amputations every year due to diabetic foot ulcers. However, the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers is expensive making it out of reach of the common man. While in the US, treatment for diabetic foot ulcers may cost anywhere between $4000 to $5000 per month, in India it is put at Rs 25,000 per month.

According to the company, Bharat’s new product could bring down this cost. Incidentally Bharat Biotech was also the first company in the country to launch a recombinant Hepatitis-B vaccine. “Affordability is the key focus for Bharat Biotech and in this direction we are working on many important vaccines,” Krishna Ella, CMD, said.

The company is also working on therapeutics such as recombinant lysostaphin, recombinant insulin, and recombinant vascular endothelial growth factor, indicating a robust product pipeline, he added. Bharat is ready to launch a recombinant vaccine for rabies this year. The company has also completed human trials on its vaccine for rotavirus.