Company Watch

Wanbury launches urinary infection drug in India

Our News Bureau - Mumbai

Wanbury has launched its New Drug Delivery System (NDDS) product Nitrofur (nitrofurantoin-100mg) which is targeted at urinary tract infections (UTI) in India. Wanbury is the third company in India, to have explored the nitrofurantoin market.

The molecule nitrofurantoin is highly effective in the treatment of UTI. However, since available brands are in the instant release (IR) category and have to be taken by the patient four times a day, users suffer from side-effects like gastro-intestinal irritation and burning sensation, leading to poor patient compliance.

"Wanbury's Nitrofur, due to its unique hydrophilic polymer matrix (HPM) NDDS technology, makes it a once-a-day, sustained release product. It is highly effective compared to IR formulations and is without any side-effects," said Dr Rajaram Samant, Director, Marketing and Sales, Wanbury. Nitrofur has also proved to be safe when taken during pregnancy and has been endorsed by authorities like World Health Organization (WHO), US Food and Drug Authority (FDA), American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (ACOG), he said.

According to industry estimates, the size of the UTI market in India is about Rs 1200 crore and it is growing annually at 14 percent. It is alarming that in India, over 28 percent of the women visiting a gynaecologist suffer from UTI. "We will be targeting this 28 percent population. We plan Nitrofur sales of Rs 10 crore in the first year of the launch and hope to capture a substantial share of the UTI market in the next three years," said Dr Samant.

The company is acknowledged for its strong gynaecology portfolio with brands like C pink and Folinine. Gynaecologists treating UTI are currently not satisfied with available UTI antibiotics in the market. This provides an edge for Wanbury to carve a niche in the market as Nitrofur adds strong value to existing array of products.