Pune firm's molecule receives US patent

In a rare instance of an Indian drug discovery firm acquiring a US patent for original research, Pune-based Indus Biotech has received a US patent for a new molecule that could cure diabetes.

The discovery gains importance as it is the first molecule (related to diabetes) to be derived from a natural product "" fenugreek (methi) ""and a compound using this molecule saves the patient from a daily dose of insulin injections.

The molecule is in advanced stages of a US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) filing.

The company is also planning a commercial rollout of a medicine based on the molecule in the next 24 months.

"Medicines produced from natural sources are kinder and gentler for long-term usage, and are ideally preferred for chronic diseases. Our research work over the years has led to the discovery of a molecule that is extremely safe, and highly efficacious in treatment of diabetes mellitus," Indus Biotech Managing Director Sunil Bhaskaran told Business Standard.

The company has expanded its patent for the molecule across most developed nations using the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) route, thereby gaining protection for the next 20 years.

During its clinical tests, 25 per cent of insulin-dependant late stage type 2 diabetic patients were actually able to get "off the needle" in six months' time.

Patients also experienced a reduction in their daily requirements of insulin by an average 27 per cent, Bhaskaran claimed.