Following the grant of patent from the Indian Patent office on May 17 for its painkiller injectable aceclofenac OD, Venus Remedies is planning to launch world’s first once-a-day painkiller injectable in India by end of this year.

Aceclofenac is a non steroidal anti inflammatory drug (NSAID) used for the relief of acute as well as chronic pain and inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, low back pain, ankylosing spondylitis, dental pain, post traumatic pain, gynaecological pain and oncology pain. The formulation based on novel drug delivery system (NDDS) technology starts its action instantly and gives immediate relief from acute pain.

“The drug will be effective for the next 24 hours as against the conventional daily dose of three injections of diclofenac given every eight hour. It not only reduces the number of pricks but also drastically reduces the side effects associated with the use of NSAIDs,” informed Dr Manu Chaudhary, director, Venus Medicine Research Center, the R&D division of Venus Remedies. The company refused to give details on the pricing of the product.

Unlike opioid based products or conventional NSAIDs that are currently used for pain management, aceclofenac is designed in such a way that the product is never released in super or sub therapeutic zones and hence is highly safe and practically free from side effects, said Dr Chaudhary.

“We hope to capture 10 per cent market share in the early years of launch. Venus is already in talks with top global pharmaceutical companies for out licensing of this product,” said Dr Chaudhary. He refrained from commenting on companies plan to out license this product saying that it was too early to comment.

The most prevalent forms of neuropathic pain in country includes neuralgia/fibromyalgia and lower back pain, with 16.3 million and 15.9 million cases respectively during 2008. Analgesics (narcotics and non–narcotics) account for 43 per cent of the global pain management market, having generated revenues of US$ 19.9 billion in 2007, showing an annual growth of 15.2 per cent.