JB Pharma slashes price of critical Heart Failure medicine AZMARDA (Sacubitril-Valsartan) by nearly 50 percent

Commenting on the move, Dilip Singh Rathore, President – Domestic Business, JB Pharma, said, "Being a leading player in the cardiac segment, JB has decided to take the lead in making their Azmarda drug more accessible and affordable for heart failure patients in India. This is in line with our strategy of providing innovative and quality treatment to a larger patient pool at the most affordable price points. With this move, the overall monthly treatment cost will reduce significantly from INR 4500 to INR 2200. The HF drug also helps in reducing hospitalization cost by around INR 1,00,000 at the minimum.".

He further added "Heart Failure is a devastating condition and it's important to also increase awareness about the condition. Thus, JB will also institute over 300+ 'Heart failure' clinics across the country so that patients are able to detect the condition early and make informed health decisions.",

Heart failure is a chronic condition in which the heart doesn't pump blood as well as it should. It is a progressive chronic syndrome characterised by a decrease in functional status and quality of life. Blood often backs up and causes fluid to build up in the lungs (congest) and in the legs. The fluid build-up can cause shortness of breath and swelling of the legs and feet.

It is estimated that 8 – 12 million people in the country suffer from heart failure (HF) as a condition. It often remains undiagnosed, and patients become aware of it mostly at the end stage. Approximately 80-90% of patients have Left Ventricular HF with a nearly even (50-50) split between HFrEF (Heart Failure Reduced Ejection Fraction) and HFpEF (Heart Failure Preserved Ejection Fraction). Given incidences of hospitalization and high mortality, HF is a specialist-driven condition (50-70% of the patient pool is with Cardiologists and 5-10% with Diabetologists). In India, HF affects a relatively younger population compared to the western world.

"This move by JB will not only help reduce the cost of treatment but will also help enhance the productive years of patients and their quality of life," the company stated.

HF patients were traditionally prescribed only ARBs (Angiotensin receptor blockers) / AI (Ace Inhibitors) as the main medication. Sacubitril+ Valsartan, launched in 2017, is considered superior to ARBs/AIs in raising EF (Ejection Fraction), hence highly effective for HFrEF patients. Sacubitril+ Valsartan is currently prescribed to 30-35% of HFrEF patients while doctors believe the share can go up to 50-65% with the right pricing.

As per IQVIA, MAT Sep 22 data Saccubutril- Valsartan is now an INR 500+ crores market with a 3-year CAGR of ~30%. The molecule is presently patented by Novartis AG, Switzerland and currently, four companies including Novartis are serving the Indian market. The molecule is expected to go off-patent in January 2023. Presently Azmarda is the third largest brand in the category capturing 17% market share with IQVIA MAT OCT'22 sales of INR 93.5 crores.

In April' 22, JB Pharma acquired the Azmarda brand from Novartis AG, Switzerland for the India region for a consideration of INR 246 crores.