In a major effort to offer advanced diagnosis in cancer, Dabur OncQuest has entered into the Nepal capital, Kathmandu to offers its services. The company entered into a joint venture with Annapurna Diagnostics Centre. Under the pact, the operations are run on profit sharing basis.

The biggest incentive under the joint venture partnership for the Dabur OncQuest is that it sans capital investment going by the available infrastructure at Annapurna Diagnostics Centre. The cancer diagnostic major will provide its expertise and put in the standard operating procedures (SOPs) in place.

This is the first foray for Dabur OncQuest outside India. Although it has been serving both Nepal and Sri Lanka, a market audit proved that Nepal would be a viable proposal going by the high level of awareness in patient management for Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML) where healthcare providers in Kathmandu are closely interacting with medical colleges in the United Kingdom, Vivek Trikha Head - Diagnostics, Dabur Pharma Limited told Pharmabiz in a telephonic interaction.
"The pilot run carried out diagnosis of over 200 patients which generated revenues to the tune of over Rs 15 lakh," he added.

Nepal accounts for 0.4 percent of cancer incidence. Dabur OncQuest will offer the entire range of tests: Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR); Real Time PCR; Fluorescent - In - Situ - Hybridization (FISH); Cytogenetics; Flowcytometry; Immunohistochemistry and Routine Surgical Pathology besides the branded molecular testing algorithms CML Quest (MRD), BCR/abl translocation assay by PCR and CML Quest (IRMA). The tests will help oncologists and patients to optimize cancer care through early diagnosis. Giving importance to affordability factor, the company is also extending its Socio-Economic project to blood cancer patients where they will get the premium testing technique which is available at Rs. 6,000. Current valuation of the Nepal currency is Rs 1.65 paise against the Indian rupee.

The company has a team in place to visit Katmandu to oversee the operations and also train the pathologists there, interact with clinicians to provide an update on the available technologies for screening, diagnosis, monitoring and treatment.

Once the Kathmandu operations consolidate, Dabur OncQuest plans to set up authorized collection centres at Bhagalpur and Chitwann in Nepal.

Being a one-of-its-kind laboratory in South East Asia with an exclusive offering in the area of molecular diagnostics and other advanced testing techniques, Dabur OncQuest is looking at Philippines, Malaysia and Dubai to set-up centres either as a partnership model or as stand-alone operations, stated Trikha.