Mumbai based BDR Pharma International is set to launch the generic version of sunitinib in India at a far more affordable price by end of March this year. The drug is currently marketed by Pfizer as Sutent at an exceedingly high cost of Rs.61,000 for 50 mg tablets (seven tablets) and Rs.31500 for 25 mg tablets (seven tablets).

The company informed that the final pricing of the drug is yet to be finalised. However, they assured that the generic version of this lifesaving drugs would be made available to the people across the country at an affordable rate.

Sunitinib (previously known as SU11248) is an oral, small-molecule, multi-targeted receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) inhibitor that was approved by the US FDA for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and imatinib-resistant gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) on January 26, 2006. Sunitinib was the first cancer drug simultaneously approved for two different indications.

Dr Aravind M Badiger, technical director, BDR Pharmaceuticals International informed that are already in the last stages of the launch which will soon come as a huge relief to scores of cancer patients in the country. Interestingly, the Patent Office on two occasion, as recently as first week of February 2013, had rejected the argument put forth by Pfizer over the drug, on grounds that the invention claimed in patent sunitinib also known as brand Sutent did not involve an inventive step.

“We would be launching this molecule in the coming month to benefit many patients suffering from renal cell carcinoma and imatinib resistant gastro intestinal stromal tumour,” informed Badiger. These two diseases are being major life threatening form of cancer and the death rate for renal cell carcinoma has been reported to be 64 per cent as per Globocan report.

The company in the past six years have launched many generic lifesaving medicines in the area of oncology and antibiotics and have been a frontrunner in the area of new product development and their introduction in India. BDR is involved in manufacturing of many advanced generic medicine like erlotinib, gefitinib, pegylated liposomal doxorubicin, doripenem, caspofungin acetate, bortezomib, pemetrexed and other high ended oncological and antifungal medicine. Very critical molecules like caspofungin acetate and daptomycin injections were introduced in India by BDR as first generic.