Company Watch

Elder to market Roche’s drug

Our News Bureau - Mumbai

Roche has finalised an agreement for its novel postmenopausal osteoporosis drug, Bonviva which is to be marketed by Elder Pharmaceuticals in India. Roche is a research driven company with an expertise in oncology, transplantation, virology, inflammatory, autoimmune diseases and osteoporosis. Elder has a leadership in the osteoporosis segment in India through its brand Shelcal, which is ranked 40th amongst the top 100 brands in India.

Launched in 2005 in USA and Europe, Bonviva whose main active ingredient is ibandronic acid, belongs to a class of drugs called bisphosphonates. This potent and highly effective bisphosphonate is the first oral prescription medicine with a once-a-month regimen. With Bonviva, patients need to take only 12 tablets a year instead of 52 or 365 tablets which is required with current weekly or daily bisphosphonate treatments. This is particularly significant as many patients find the available osteoporosis therapy inconvenient. Up to two-thirds of patients stop taking their osteoporosis treatment within a year, foregoing bone strengthening benefits that these drugs can only provide over time. Roche, which is in co-promotion with GSK in many markets, is already marketing this product in more than 50 countries.

"We are very pleased to make the monthly Bonviva 150 mg tablet available in India. We can now offer women with postmenopausal osteroporosis, an effective and more convenient regimen which may improve compliance leading to sustained bone strengthening benefits over time," expressed Dr G L Telang, Managing Director, Roche India. Alok Saxena, Director, Elder added, "We have an expertise in marketing women's healthcare products in India and also an extensive distribution network reaching the micro interior towns and villages. Bonviva and Shelcal (Calcium supplement) may be prescribed together in the treatment of osteoporosis thereby giving a ready market to Roche's product."

Roche's move to launch an osteoporosis drug in India comes in the wake of a rising incidence of the disease in India. It is commonly seen in women over 50 years of age, those who are in the postmenopausal stage. However, a significant number of men are also reportedly suffering from this condition. It is estimated that nearly 30 million Indians are affected by osteoporosis, with women bearing the major brunt of this disease.