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New vaccine may help cure multiple diseases

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Sohini DasMaulik Pathak Ahmedabad
Last Updated : Jan 20 2013 | 12:31 AM IST

As the country’s first nano-biotechnology plant readies for commercial production in Kheda district of Gujarat, the product, Receptol, an immunity booster vaccine, is being described as a ‘wonder medicine’ that could help cure most of the diseases we encounter today, including TB, cancer, HIV and swine flu.

A brainchild of Pawan Saharan, chairman of Mumbai-based Biomix Network, the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) is patented in India as Radha-108. The compound is made up of 20 different molecules that can be further isolated to cure different diseases.

Partly funded by the Union government’s Department of Science and Technology (DST), Biomix has completed phase-III clinical trials of Receptol for treatment of HIV. Commercial production is likely to begin in a few months.

Derived from Radha-108, Receptol was launched at Mumbai airport a few months earlier on a trial basis to check swine flu. The promoter has plans to make it available at airports across the world in due course.

DST has agreed to fund Biomix for conducting one of the largest clinical trials of the country for tuberculosis (TB) and multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB, involving 1,000 patients. The company is currently awaiting a nod from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to conduct the trials.

Biomix has tied up with Amul, the general name of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, for collecting bovine lacteal sources or the first milk from cows after a calf is born and has managed to extract the nano-peptides that act as API.

“Receptol is a recipe for all, covering 90 percent of diseases we encounter today. We plan to launch over 30 products over a period of five years, subject to necessary government approvals. These products will be specially designed by isolating the specific nano-peptides which are active in curing diseases like HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, tuberculosis, swine flu, bird flu, allergies, asthma, some forms of cancer and even neurological disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. This could be the next big thing after Penicillin,” Saharan told Business Standard.

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First Published: Jan 27 2010 | 12:58 AM IST

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