Bal Vedics, the herbal arm of Bal Pharma is now scouting for a distributor in South Africa to make available its Immuwin which is a recognized immunity booster for the AIDS and HIV control. The company is eyeing the promising anti-AIDS drug market. It is readying itself with market build up strategies in this country which has been the origin of the deadly disease.

"We see big business in this market of South Africa but so far unable to make an entry and are looking for a presence through a strong distributor or marketing partner, Archana Mitra Dubey, associate vice-president, exports, Bal Pharma Limited told Pharmabiz.

Immuwin which has undergone clinical trials at the Kasturba Medical College, Manipal for AIDS is now being recommended by both Ayurveda and Allopathic practitioners in the south India. The former has been prescribing the drug as a therapy for the condition and the latter has made it mandatory for patients as an immunity booster along with other modern medication to control the disease. "Therefore in the markets of the southern states, where the drug has been doing well, we have received a positive response", she added.

The company has been performing exceptionally well in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh with Immuwin. This proves that the drug is doing much better than the others similar products in the market which Bal Pharma does not view as a competition but as another medication in the space.

On the occasion of the Worlds AIDS day observed annually on December 1, Bal Pharma is hoping to make deeper inroads with Immuwin not just in India but in South Africa where the drug is of prime importance for patient access. "It is imperative for us to adopt an aggressive market development strategy in a disease segment where there is no single drug to control the condition," said Dubey.

In the wake of the global slowdown, the research in AIDS has also slowed down. This makes Immuwin all the more an indispensable therapy to boost immunity levels which is the key component to control the condition.

In UAE, the company managed to bag the product registration rights of Ashwamedh capsule for which first consignments are through. Going by the demand for stringent regulatory process for herbal drug approvals and high quality certification standards, Bal Pharma would be able to enter South Africa if it has been cleared for Middle East markets. The only hassle now is identifying the right distributor, said Dubey.