Kee Pharma Ltd introduced 'Melagenina Plus' a therapy for vitiligo for the first time in the Indian market.The product stimulates the synthesis of melanin pigment in the skin. It is a concentrate of low molecular weight melanogenic lipoprotein isolated from human placenta in alcoholic medium.

Dr. Alok Dev, head, international marketing, Kee Pharma Ltd., said Melagenina Plus has been a global success in vitiligo therapy and provides remedy for number of leucoderma patients in India.

Melagenina Plus is a tropical lotion for external applications priced at Rs. 3,600 per 235ml. bottle. It has no side-effects and is easy to apply. International clinical trials have reported 84 per cent success rate with no incidence of relapse. It is also safe for children, pregnant, lactating women and geriatric patients.

Dr. Dev said that the drug would be used in the stable vitiligo type and not in active stage. In the first 15 years, after Melagenina Plus was introduced in 1973, over 13,000 patients from 123 countries underwent this treatment.

The unique features of the product are the once-a-day dosage and no need for exposure to UV (ultra violet) rays or sunlight. There is fast and uniform repigmentation through the stimulation of melanocyte reproduction.

The therapeutic effectives are validated through Indian clinical trials which reveals that the calcium chloride enhances the repigmentation rate, Tyrosine facilities melanin synthesis, copper accelerates the oxidation process and alcohol increases the lipoprotein penetration of the skin.

The product is marketed by Kee Biogenetics, a division of Kee Pharma, which is a New Delhi-based unlisted four-decade-old pharmaceutical manufacturing and marketing enterprise. The product is manufactured by Centro de Histoterapia Placentaria, Havana, Cuba.

Vitiligo refereed to as leucoderma is a skin disorder where normal colouration is lost over a period of time. Dermatologists say that the disorder is a cosmetic problem having more social than medical significance. The retarded melanin formation causes loss of pigmentation. The global prevalence of vitiligo is 2 per cent including white skin communities. However, epidemiological reports indicate higher incidence in India and Mexico.