JB Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd (JBCPL) enters the Nephrology segment in India, launches Renova Division

Mumbai: J.B. Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd. announced its foray into the area of Nephrology with a new dedicated division called "RENOVA" which will endeavour to serve patients who are under treatment for Chronic Kidney Disease.

The new division will focus exclusively on comprehensive renal care ranging from the management of hypertension in Chronic Kidney Disease to End-stage renal disease. After successfully becoming one of the leading player in Hypertension with brands like Cilacar and Nicardia, JBCPL has now begun to also focus on patients with CKD.

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) has emerged as a major cause of global morbidity and mortality with the Global Disease Burden report of 2015 labelling it as one of the most common causes of death. There has been a 37.1% rise in mortality over 10 years. In India, the burden of CKD has not been assessed properly, but it is estimated that the prevalence of CKD is 800 patients per million population and the prevalence of end-stage renal disease is 150-200 patients per million population. Unfortunately, only a small portion of CKD patients reach nephrologists and mostly in the later stages when the diseases has progressed. The segment, therefore, has a need for dedicated intervention.

"Being one of the leaders in the hypertension segment, we realized that Chronic Kidney Disease is a major issue in the country and the numbers are rising significantly. There are growing cases of hypertension associated with CKD and we believe this initiative will enable us service the growing unmet needs of CKD patients." Mr. Nikhil Chopra, CEO & Whole-time director, J.B. Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Limited said.

He further added, "JBCPL remains committed to serving the needs of patients and the launch of the dedicated nephrology division is a testament to that fact. Besides the division launch, we will continue to create awareness about CKD and enable patients to reach out to physicians as early as possible."

As per company sources, the expansion of the portfolio in phases while subsequently introducing more therapy-specific products in the Nephrology and Transplantation segments. The therapy basket during the initial phase would include:

1. Liposomal Iron (In Iron Deficiency Anemia)

2. Alpha Ketoanalogue (In Delaying CKD Progression)

3. Sodium Bicarbonate (In Metabolic Acidosis)

4. Midodrine (In Orthostatic Hypotension)

5. Moxonidine (In CKD Hypertension)

6. Isomalt Lozenges (In Xerostomia)

7. Paraffin Cream (In Xerosis)

With the introduction of this new division and patient-centric initiatives, JBCPL can help address the medical needs of patients with CKD. The launch of this division will also enable nephrologists and physicians to provide patients with different treatment options and ultimately improve the quality of life in these patients. JBCPL will continue to launch products under this division to achieve its objective of providing holistic support to CKD patients at every stage.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a non-communicable disease usually caused by diabetes and hypertension. Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of the early morbidity and mortality sustained by patients with CKD. The severity of CKD can be assessed by a low serum creatinine-based estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), which indicates excretory kidney function and raised urinary albumin measured by the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR), which is a marker of kidney damage. In 2017, the global prevalence of CKD was 9.1% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 8·5 to 9·8), which is roughly 700 million cases. A substantial increase was noted in age-standardized incidence of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) treated by renal replacement therapy, with dialysis and kidney transplantation increasing by 43·1% (95% UI 40·5 to 45·8) and 34·4% (29·7 to 38·9), respectively.