Venus Remedies Limited, an R&D-driven global pharmaceutical company working on innovative medicines in the anti-infective and oncology segments, has received a product patent grant for its unique antibiotic research product, Vancoplus, from the Indian Patent Office (IPO). The patent is valid till 2025.
Commenting on the achievement, Dr (Mrs) Manu Chaudhary, joint managing director, Venus Remedies Limited, and Director, Research, Venus Medicine Research Centre (VMRC), the company’s R&D wing, says, “It took the VMRC more than seven years to develop this product. It is one of the best and safest options to get rid of drug-resistant gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (VISA) and heterogeneous glycopeptide-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (hGISA).”
The total global market size of MRSA-associated infections is around $9 billion. At present, it is growing at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.8 per cent, which is estimated to go up to 12.4 per cent by 2017. In India, Vancoplus is projected to cater to a market of Rs.214 crore by 2018-19.
Vancoplus is a novel antibiotic adjuvant entity that is highly effective against the notorious MRSA bacterial strain and multi-drug resistant microbes primarily responsible for causing infections like meningitis, pneumonia, typhoid, septicemia, urinary tract infections, skin infections and staphylococcal endocarditis. It is also active against different mechanisms of resistance, such as cell membrane impermeability, efflux pumps and biofilms, which no other existing therapeutic options available in the market are able to tackle.
Vancoplus has already been launched in India, and so far about 80,000 patients have been cured with it. The product has received an overwhelming response from the country’s medical fraternity. “Vancoplus is the need of the hour due to its high efficacy against such infections. Considering the rising prevalence of MRSA, VRSA and hGISA infections, we are hopeful that this patent for Vancoplus will help us capture a significant market share,” says Dr Manu Chaudhary.
The company has conducted clinical trials for this drug on a large patient sample size to prove its clinical efficacy and safety, which is further validated by publications in peer-reviewed journals. Venus has more than 15 research papers on this product to its credit.
So far, the company has received patents for Vancoplus from more than 18 countries, including the USA, Japan, South Africa, New Zealand, Ukraine, Australia and South Africa. It is holding advanced-level discussions with some multinational companies for the outlicensing of this product.