The Himalaya Drug Company has ventured into chronic respiratory allergy segment with launch of Bresol. The product will be ethically promoted by its Pharma division.
Extensive research of over 10 years has gone into the development of Bresol. "There is adequate research data indicating that it helps to reduce symptoms of allergic rhinitis such as nasal congestion, post-nasal drip, and itching of eyes and nose. The drug is also useful as an adjuvant therapy in asthma as it reduces the asthma score and eosinophil count, thereby improving lung function tests. Currently this is the first product for the company in this space," Philipe Haydon, president & CEO, Pharmaceuticals, Asia-Pacific, The Himalaya Drug Company told Pharmabiz in an email interaction.
Herbs like Haridra, Tulasi and Vasaka in Bresol work in conjunction to provide relief from respiratory allergies. The anti-inflammatory properties of Haridra help in effectively combating allergies, Tulasi helps promote optimum respiratory comfort by reducing the symptoms of allergy, while Vasaka normalizes the lung function.
There are several products available in the market for treating respiratory diseases. However, Bresol is claimed to be a unique product as its safety and efficacy has been proved in patients suffering from nasal congestion, post-nasal drip, and respiratory ailments. It does not produce sedation as is common with antihistamines. Useful for both adults and children, Bresol is a herbal answer to antihistamines.
Going by the competition in the cough syrup space which has a major OTC presence, Himalaya has no plans to position Bresol with existing allopathy products like anti allergy expectorants, mucolytices and bronchodilators. "Physicians recommend Bresol for all age-groups. The product is available in both tablet and syrup forms. Bresol provides a holistic approach to the treatment of chronic respiratory allergies and asthma," he added.
The market for chronic respiratory allergy segment in India including herbal and allopathy is valued at Rs 1,700 crore. In the herbal space, other than Himalaya there are Dabur, Bal Vedics, part of Bal Pharma and Emami which acquired over 70 percent stake in Zandu Pharma with a similar offering for respiratory allergy.
Himalaya's Pharma division consists of 48 products of which Liv-52 is the largest selling brand Several products are in the pipeline and would be launched over the coming months.
In 2009, the company brought about changes into the pharmaceutical business by setting up four Strategic Business Units (SBUs): Zandra Zenith, Zindel and Zera. The SBUs will deal with different products and portfolio segmentation is based on doctor specialty. Bresol tablets are handled by Zandra and its syrup will be taken care by the Zenith SBU.