While the medical industry across globe is taking steps to increase, if we say that India is like winning the candidate in the race. And here is to explain why this is happening. In the recent article by Business standards and many others like PTI, Experts from the pharmaceutical industry say that in the past 10 years, it’s become easier and faster to do clinical trials in India. 

What do numbers say? 

Big companies from around the world are starting to choose India as their main place for these trials. From 2017 to 2023, the number of phase two and phase three clinical trials in India has been increasing by about 15 to 18 percent. 

This growth is mainly because of changes made to a law called the Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940. Novartis, one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies globally, talked about this.

Why this change has come? 

India’s regulators are starting to make changes because of what’s happening globally. They’re trying to make the process clearer and quicker. They’re also making a new law that will have big changes, like treating medical devices differently.

Role that Hospitals play in the achievement

Now that we know numbers, let us discuss about the actual contenders. Who do you think is contributing the most? Is the hospitals responsible in this as well? The answer to this is a BIG FAT YES! 

No secret right, that the hospital chains and networks are modernizing? Around 70 percent of patients go to private hospital networks. T

These networks are expanding into smaller cities and towns, providing access to more patients. This makes India a good place for clinical trials.

However, hold on. There are so many experts who think there are still things India needs to improve. Like what? One of the things is doing clinical trials in India is good but somehow challenging. 

Are there challenges for Pharma?

A little yes, given that India is rising. The companies are considering this big trend as they move from asking whether they should be in India to when and how they should enter. They see several opportunities where they can start slowly with one or two important trials in the next year or so and then grow that experience naturally.

Dr. Christopher Corsico, a leader at GSK, mentioned that many companies have set up a strong infrastructure in India because of the skilled people there who can help with running clinical trials smoothly.

What is the hurdle for the Clinical trials in India? 

Medical industry is really challenging and we just saw some perspective. There’s also a perception that things used to be slow and burdensome in India for clinical trials. Timelines were tough. Even if you planned to involve India from the beginning, it often took a long time for them to join, and by then, much of the trial was already finished. 

However, things are changing, and timelines have actually improved by about 30 to 40 percent. Including India early on in global trials can have benefits in the long run, avoiding the need for additional studies later.

Conclusion

In conclusion, leaders in the pharmaceutical industry see India as an increasingly attractive destination for clinical trials.They say India has gotten better at making it easier to do these experiments, like building better roads for medicine adventures! But, there are still some things they need to work on, like making sure everyone gets fair chances to use new medicines.

Even though there are challenges, these big medicine leaders are excited to work together and make things better.

No matter how much one denies, as a healthy body, the idea of cancerous cell is very scary. However, there is a good news that has been published in the recent times in field of medicine. The drug name is Trastuzumab Deruxtecan, which has been into the process for the cancer treatment. We will be discussing more on this and how this affects the human body and if at all we have hope. 

What is this drug that we are talking about? 

Trastuzumab Deruxtecan, a game-changer in fighting certain types of breast cancer and other related cancers. How? We will tell you. Think like this that your body is like a location and cancer cells are like unwanted intruders causing trouble. Now, Trastuzumab Deruxtecan is like a drug, specially designed to target and destroy these troublemaking cancer cells. Just to add more, this is a target therapy like but not exactly the same. 

Is it available in India? 

In a recent news of AstraZeneca Pharma by the Express pharma, India has received permission to import for sale and distribution of Trastuzumab deruxtecan lyophilised powder for concentrate for solution for infusion 100mg from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), Directorate General of Health Services, Government of India for two additional indications. So as far as India is concerned, things really look good for us. 

Want to know more about Trastuzumab deruxtecan? 

Let’s talk about what types of cancer Trastuzumab Deruxtecan can tackle. It’s very versatile in fighting against various types of cancers, including breast cancer. It is important to know that this female cancer can’t be removed surgically. This is also true about breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. 

Further to add are there is such a long list of these kind of cancers: 

• Advanced gastric adenocarcinoma, 
• Advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma, 
• Advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), 
• Metastatic HER2 mutant non-small cell lung cancer, and 
• Unresectable HER2-low breast cancer. 

So, how does Trastuzumab Deruxtecan work its magic? 

Well, it’s like a stealth bomber sneaking up on its target. This medicine attaches itself to cancer cells that express HER2, a protein found in certain types of cancer cells. Once attached, it delivers a powerful punch directly into the cancer cells, destroying them from the inside out. Talk about precision!

Does it only need to be taken once? 

Given that you will have an oncologist by your side, it is not just one time. Trastuzumab Deruxtecan isn’t just a one-time wonder. It’s meant to be given continuously until either the cancer stops responding to the treatment or until the patient can no longer tolerate it. It is an important hope in the battle against cancer, standing by your side every step of the way.

Concluding we like to add…

Trastuzumab Deruxtecan is a groundbreaking treatment for certain types of breast cancer and other related cancers. Its targeted approach and effectiveness make it a valuable tool in the fight against this deadly disease. So, here’s to science and innovation, paving the way for brighter days ahead in the world of cancer treatment. Remember, knowledge is power, and the more we understand about treatments like Trastuzumab Deruxtecan, the closer we get to defeating cancer once and for all.

As reported by Money Control and ET health the pharmaceuticals might have a little increase in the prices of medicine. Is this going to affect you a lot? Not much. Starting from April 1st, the prices of some important medicines in India will go up slightly. These medicines are listed in something called the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM), which includes more than 800 different drugs.

Exactly what are we discussing here? So, the government allows drug companies to increase the prices of these medicines once a year. From April 2024, they can raise the prices by a tiny amount, specifically 0.0055 percent.

The government sets a limit on how much these prices can go up based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) from the previous year. This helps control how much the prices of these essential medicines can increase, ensuring they stay affordable for people who need them.

Explaining the price rise in easier way! 

Imagine you have a favorite candy that you buy every year. Let’s say last year, it cost ₹700, and this year it increased by 12%, which means it’s now ₹784. Then, the year before, it increased by 10%, so it went from ₹630 to ₹693. Now, this year, the price is only going up a little bit. It’s not going up as much as before. 

But for the companies that make this candy, it might not be a big problem. Why? Because most of their sales come from candies that aren’t regulated by the government in terms of prices. Only a small portion of their sales come from candies that have government-set prices.

So, even though the overall market for candies (or in this case, pharmaceuticals) didn’t grow a lot last year, the price increases from the government did help some companies. This means that even though fewer candies were sold overall, the companies still made more money because they could charge higher prices for some of their candies.

Notification by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA)

To make things even more clear, here is what the notification read, “Based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) data provided by the office of the Economic Advisor, Department of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the annual change in WPI works out as (+)0.00551% during the calendar year 2023 over the corresponding period in 2022”

Conclusion

Although the overall market growth for pharmaceuticals may have been modest, the price increases allowed by the government have still provided some financial benefits to these companies. Therefore, while the increase in prices for essential medicines may affect consumers, it may not greatly impact the profitability of pharmaceutical companies due to the majority of their sales being unaffected by government regulations.