The number of High Potent Drugs (HPD) has increased by six times and cover 30 per cent of the total number of NCEs in 2003 compared to just 5 per cent in 1990, as per a recent study conducted by the US-FDA. Out of the total global pharmaceutical market size of $ 500 billion, the HPD market is estimated to be worth $ 40 billion.
HPDs are highly effective drugs that need to be taken on an average dosage level of only 2 to 5 mg per day as compared to 40-50 mg per day in case of most traditional drugs. The side effect encountered is also lower here.
All the recent drugs used in therapeutic areas like antibiotics, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, asthma, analgesics, cytotoxics, steroid hormones, anti-epileptics, anti-virals and treatments for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's diseases and endocrinology are high potent drugs.
Higher end antibiotics like gatifloxacin, G-CSF and Imatinib Mesylate (cancer), statins and prils (CVS), angiotensin II receptor blockers (hypertension), Glimipiride and analogue insulin (diabetes), bronchodilating inhalers (asthma), Fluoxetine (anti-depressants) and growth hormones (endocrinology) are some of the latest examples of HPDs.
Today the scientists are well equipped to understand a disease better, which makes it much more easier to identify targets with more effective drugs, said experts. "Development of HPDs is an evolving process. However, the quest started with a mission to find solution towards increasing side effects of first generation drugs due to high dosage levels and high bacterial resistance to early antibiotics," said Dr. Jaydip Bhaduri, Medical Director, Lupin Ltd.
Simvastatin a latest entrant into the family of statins is used in the treatment of cholesterol. The drug has reduced side effects such as reduced instances of heart attacks, side effects like fatigue, upset stomach, constipation and abdominal pain are lower as compared to other alternative therapies.
Latest antibiotic gatifloxacin and ciprofloxacin are more against a varied strain of bacteria compared to more effective including gram-positive bacteria such as methicillin susceptible Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumonia compared to more traditional antibiotics like clarithromycin and azithromycin.
Insulin analogues provide a relatively constant basal insulin supply with no pronounced peak. Long acting insulin analogues cause less hypoglycaemia, especially nocturnal hypoglycaemia in comparison to regular human insulin.
Key safety advantages for fluoxetine include lower adverse events and dropout rates compared with tricyclic antidepressants and other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), safety in overdose. An additional advantage of fluoxetine is the absence or mildness of discontinuation symptoms following treatment interruption, probably a consequence of fluoxetine's long half-life in comparison with other SSRIs.
The advancement of biotechnology has brought in new set of high potential biotech products like Erythropoietin and G-CSF. As the decoding of the human genome is complete, biotechnology is expected to be the new frontier for developing potent drugs to accurately hit the target using minimum dosage.