Roche to unveil anti-cancer drug

Roche Scientific Company (India), the subsidiary of Swiss drug major F Hoffmann-La Roche, is all set to open its global portfolio of blockbuster anti-cancer drugs to India. Most importantly, the drug major's India launch almost coincides with the global launch of some products.

The company will be launching Fuzeon (an HIV anti-retroviral drug), Bondronate (a drug for the treatment of bone-metastasis), Velcyte (for the treatment of cytomegalovirus""an infection commonly attracking HIV, Cancer and transplant patients), Tarceva (a lung cancer drug) and Avastin (a colorectal cancer drug) from its parents portfolio.

The introduction of Tarceva in India will coincide with its global launch. The drug is currently under trials. While Ibandronate is in the final phase of a global launch, Velcyte, Avastin and Fuzion, were launched recently and is available only in select countries. The launch of these drugs, spread over 2004 and 2005, in the domestic market comes close on the heels of their global launch.

G L Telang, managing director, Roche Scientific Company (India), said, "While we are not worried about generic competition in India, we are concerned about the supply of non-quality molecule owing to lack of patent protection. Our decision to make parent company's product pipeline available to India is in line with the group's India strategy and enhanced focus in India."

"We have been introducing our drugs in India at a lower price compared with the price range in other parts of the world keeping the affordability factor in mind. However, a total import duty impact on drugs have to be factored in the price," Sangita Topiwala, head planning and development of Roche Scientific, said. The company had recently announced a 25 per cent cut in its drug prices.

Analysts tracking the pharmaceutical sector said the lag period between the global launch of a drug and the India launch by multinational companies have been minimising. The trend is interesting to note in view of the fact that India is in the process of emerging as a significant platform for successful drug launches.

Roche, a front runner in oncology research, specialises in novel medicines to treat different forms of cancer aimed at providing longer survival and new treatment options for cancer patients worldwide.

For instance, according to the company, the viral load measurements in clinical trials for Fuzeon were performed, which is considered to be a highly sensitive measurement of the amount of HIV circulating in a patients blood ("viral load").