Himalaya Drug Company’s latest offering Liv 52 HB prescribed for hepatitis B virus is now the only treatment in the herbal space. The drug which went through 14 years of extensive research is backed by ample clinical trial data. There is also a huge cost advantage for patients suffering from HBV infection.
“Currently, there are no herbal drugs for the treatment of HBV infection. So we will be competing with all other allopathic treatments currently being prescribed for this condition,” Philipe Haydon, CEO, Pharmaceutical Division, The Himalaya Drug Company told Pharmabiz.
The current allopathic drugs available for treatment of the condition includes antivirals, interferons and immunoglobins, which are known to have serious side effects like nephrotoxicity, neuro-vegetative symptoms and anaemia. The cost of six-month treatment for the condition is between Rs.10,000 – Rs.1 lakh for allopathic drugs.
“Liv.52 HB is the first herbal drug that offers an efficacy rate comparable to that of allopathic treatments. The drug is completely devoid of side effects, even after long-term administration. Moreover, the entire six-month treatment costs Rs.4,680, a fraction of the cost of available treatments. We see immense potential for Liv.52 HB. In the first year, we hope to build this into a Rs.10 crore brand,” he added.
It takes a minimum of ten years for a drug to be developed at Himalaya. “Liv.52 HB has been in our R&D labs for fourteen years. We have screened over 100 drugs to find a herbal composition for the treatment of hepatitis B virus infection,” pointed out Haydon.
The drug development process at Himalaya follows allopathic protocols to determine safety and efficacy as per the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Approximately 1,000 patients took part in the clinical studies for Liv.52 HB across the country for six years which began in 2004 and continued till 2010. There were five double-bind placebo-controlled studies. Fifty percent of the patients were administered the active drug and the other 50 percent were given the placebo. Sustained virological response was seen in more than 27 per cent of the patients. The clinical trials were conducted in hospitals across the country, including Bangalore where it was undertaken in Victoria Hospital, Bangalore, amongst others.
The pharmaceutical division at Himalaya has six sub divisions: Zindel, Zandra, Zeal, Zenith, Zera and Hospital that promote different products to doctors across the country. Liv.52 HB will be exclusively handled by Zeal division, which is also responsible for the entire Liv.52 range.
Himalaya’s pharmaceutical division recently launched oral care with brand 'HiOra' and dermatological Clarina range. “We will continue to add scientifically-validated, safe and efficacious products in our portfolio. We will also conduct more clinical trials to grow our database,” said Haydon.