Glenmark launches pulmonary fibrosis drug NINDANIB in India

Mumbai: Drugmaker, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, today launched NINDANIB (Nintedanib 100 and 150 mg capsules) for the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis in India.

Glenmark has been amongst the first to launch the branded generic version at an affordable cost for the treatment of Pulmonary Fibrosis in India.

This will provide patients a far more cost effective treatment option, and enable doctors to treat a wider patient population in the country.

Nintedanib is approved by the Indian drug regulator for the treatment of Idiopathic (unknown cause) Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). Since IPF is a progressive disease that gets worse over time, starting treatment early and continuing treatment are important to slow disease progression. A lower monthly treatment cost therefore becomes crucial to ensure patients adhere to prescribed treatment in the long term. So far Nintedanib has been studied extensively in various controlled clinical trials that have established its efficacy and safety.

In a recently published INBUILD trial, Nintedanib showed significantly lower annual rate of decline in FVC (Forced Vital Capacity) – a measure of lung health – with various progressive fibrosing interstitial lung diseases. Moreover, two clinical trials are being rolled out for to study the efficacy and safety of Nintedanib as a treatment of SARS-COV2 induced pulmonary fibrosis in Moderate to Severe COVID-19 patients.

"With limited treatment options available, interstitial lung diseases pose a significant treatment challenge in India. The high price of newer treatments and the pill burden of existing options only add to poor patient adherence. By introducing NINDANIB, we hope to substantially reduce both the pill and cost burden for patients in India," said Mr. Alok Malik, Group Vice President & Business Head, India Formulations.

He added, "Glenmark continues to invent and innovate healthcare solutions that meet specific and often hard-to-address needs of patients in India and the world."

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a respiratory condition characterized by the thickening and/or scarring of the lungs. This makes it difficult for oxygen to pass through the air sacs and into the bloodstream, causing symptoms such as shortness of breath and dry cough. The average survival rate in patients with IPF is poor, with only 20 to 30 percent of people surviving at least five years after diagnosis. The most frequent cause of death is respiratory failure. IPF typically affects men over the age of 65 in India, and most people with IPF live only three to five years post diagnosis, if left untreated.

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