The Karnataka-based pharma companies who are dealing with nephrology drugs and nutraceuticals like Micro Labs, Biocon and British Biologicals are upbeat on the promising growth prospects in the nephrology drug segment.

The market size for nephrology drugs in India is valued between Rs 500 and Rs 600 crore. There are around 8-10 companies in this space including Biocon, Micro Labs, Ipac, Intas, Emcure, Panacea Biotech, Wockhardt and Ranbaxy. Among the multinational companies are Roche, Johnson and Novartis. The key growth driver is the increasing patient pool which is driving the demand for drugs and nutritional supplements.

On the occasion of the World Kidney Day observed annually on March 11, the companies are looking to partner with hospitals to build awareness on the dreaded disease. Both Biocon and Micro Labs (through its Foresee division) entered the nephrology space in 2007. British Biologicals, Critical Care division introduced RenoPro, a specially designed innovative formula to support kidney health in 2008.

Biocon is already the largest manufacturer of immunosuppressants in the country with eight products. These are Erypro Safe, Biosev, Ceracal, Tacrograf, Renodapt, Renodapt S, Rapacan and Cyclophil ME. Micro Labs' Foresee division has six drugs: These are a tacrolimus, MMF, Erythropoietin, Calcium polystyrene Sulphonate, Lanthonum Carbonate and Iron Sucrose injection. For both Micro labs and Biocon, Erthropoetin is the fastest growing in the domestic market.

According to Raghava Vempati, deputy general manager, Nephrology Marketing Biocon Limited, the company is looking to build on the momentum with scientific and innovative marketing efforts. Erypro Safe is the Pre Filled Syringe (PFS) with an innovative safety solution protects from needle stick injuries. This is the most preferred form of giving EPO treatment which is fastest growing brand in a market where 29 brands are competing.

British Biologicals’ RenoPro is a protein powder in orange flavour with a mild diuretic activity, supports healthy aldosterone levels, and acts as a supplement in pre dialysis conditions. Its Renopro HP is a modified formulation of Renopro for dialysis and post dialysis cases available in Honey Nut Crunch Flavour.

According to estimates, in India one out of every nine cases suffer from chronic kidney disease and there are only 950 nephrologists. Currently, there are 700 dialysis centres in the country. These centres perform 4,000 dialysis sessions a day that amounts to around 2.5 lakh a month and 30 lakh annually. Cost of dialysis including medication is Rs 1.2 lakh before a transplant. Kidney transplant is between Rs 50,000 at government hospitals to Rs 3 lakh at corporate centres. Post transplant expenses for patients is around Rs 1.3 lakh annually. Around 3,000 kidney transplants are performed annually at the 170 government approved centres. Maximum transplants are done at New Delhi followed by Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai.

Along with the disease burden and cost of treatment is the limited number of drugs to treat the condition. Therefore pharma companies need to carry out extensive research for drug development. Another issue is the lack of dedicated nephrology departments in hospitals of the Tier II and III towns to offer early diagnosis. Patients from smaller towns come to hospitals in the metros during the last stages of the disease, said Pradeep K Bharadwaj, vice president, sales & marketing Foresee Division, Micro Labs Limited.