Glenmark Pharma launches pulmonary fibrosis treatment drug

Glenmark Pharma on Wednesday announced the launch of its generic version of Nintedanib (NINDANIB), used for the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis, in India. "Glenmark being a leader in the area of respiratory has been amongst the first to launch the branded generic version at an affordable cost for the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis in India,” it said in a regulatory filing.

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

Glenmark said 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," the company added.

Glenmark said two clinical trials are being rolled out 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,” Glenmark Group Vice President and Business Head, India Formulations Alok Malik said.

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a respiratory condition characterised 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.

(With PTI inputs)