The Mumbai-based JB Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals will continue to develop new drugs in the field of Cox-2 inhibitors (C2I), according to senior company officials. JB is currently developing about 20 C2I NCEs, most of which are in the pre-clinical stage of development. Five molecules among these have been patented, said officials.

This comes despite Merck pulling out its Rofecoxib brand Vioxx from the global markets. Moreover, questions are still being raised about the side-effects of other C2I molecules like valdecoxib (Bextra) and Celecoxib (Celebrex).

The DCGI has already issued a ban on Roficoxib in India and other C2I molecules are under the scan of the National Pharmacovigilance Advisory Committee (NPAC).

However, the officials at JB Chemicals said they would go ahead with research on these molecules and had no plans to abandon or stall the project.

"Our aim is to develop these molecules till pre-clinical stage and then outlicense them to global companies. It will take another 12-18 months for some of the molecules to enter clinical trials. Research on C2I molecules is still being done globally. Our aim is to find new uses for these molecules. C2I brands like Celebrex and Bextra are still available in global and Indian market," said Nirav Mody, vice president, Strategic Marketing (International), JBCPL. According to Mody, if the company finds no takers for out-licensing, it will do trials on its own.

According to pharma analysts in Mumbai, since the molecules concerned are C2I, it will be too premature on what will be the possible outcome of research. "JB will have to come out with a unique and normal result. After the recent out-licensing failures from DRL and Ranbaxy, it has become difficult to comment on the outcome of this research," said a pharmaceutical analyst.