PHARMA LITERATI

Since such products cost far more to develop, investments are mostly made by top drug makers such as Sun Pharma, Dr Reddy’s and Lupin Indian pharmaceutical companies have increased research and development (R&D) investments in lucrative specialty drugs and complex generics, as greater competition and lower margins eat into their bread-and-butter generics business. Since such products cost far more to develop, investments are mostly made by top drug makers such as Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd and Lupin Ltd . R&D spending at all these companies has risen over the past three years. Benefits from a so-called patent cliff (when patents on many drugs expired, creating opportunities for Indian generic-drug firms in the US) petered out in 2014, while pricing pressure and compliance issues have risen since then, creating a sense of urgency. Consolidation in the distribution channel has added to pricing woes. “ Price erosion in single...

Lincoln Pharmaceuticals Ltd said it developed and launched an oral spray version of Ondansetron anti-nausea drug. Ondansetron is used to prevent nausea and vomiting caused by cancer drug treatment (chemotherapy), radiation therapy and also in the prevention and treatment for nausea and vomiting after surgery. The medication is also more helpful during motion sickness. Presently the Ondansetron formulation is available in the form of Tablet, Syrup and Injectable. Ondansetron as Oral spray is developed first time in India as it the formulation is only available in U.S. market only, the company said. The medication was developed at the company´s manufacturing unit near Ahmedabad. The Pharma company has done the Bio-Equivalent Study for Ondansetron Oral Spray and got the DCGI permission. The all India level anti-emetic drug market, which includes Ondansetron, is Rs. 678 Crores. It has an all over India market of Rs. 303 Crores. Lincoln offers products, such as tabl...

The FDA has approved the first extended-release (ER) chewable tablet, developed by Tris Pharma. Prior ER tablets and capsules typically carried the warning “should not be chewed or crushed.” With other ER dosage forms, chewing or crushing can cause “dose dumping,” which can increase the concentration of a drug in the body, thereby producing adverse effects or even drug-induced toxicity. In clinical studies, the new ER chewable tablet technology released drug consistently, regardless of whether the tablet was chewed or swallowed whole. The ER chewable tablets are an extension of Tris Pharma’s LiquiXR platform , a particulate-based technology in which hundreds of millions of tiny (about 100 microns) particles deliver drug over time. Controlled release is facilitated by a flexible particle coating, which is why chewing does not compromise the release profile, according to Tris. The same particles can be used to formulate various oral ER dosage forms, such as liquid suspensions,...