Natco launches swine flu drug oseltamivir generic Natflu in India
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Natco launches swine flu drug oseltamivir generic Natflu in IndiaGeneric maker Natco Pharma has launched Natflu – its version of the H1N1 swineflu drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu) in the Indian market.Natco’s swine flu drug Natflu will be priced at at Rs 480 (US$10) for a bottle of 10 capsules and is available in all licensed pharmacies, the Hyderabad-based firm said in a statement.Natco is the latest Indian firm to join the fray of genric oseltamivir producers.Indian government, which was maintaining an oseltamivir stockpile of 10 million doses, has already exhausted or decentralized over 7.5 million capsules to distribute them to the H1N1 infected states.Now the health ministry plans to buy another 20 million doses of oseltamivir soon for its reserve. The government has alerted and asked the domestic companies like Ranbaxy Labs, Cipla, Natco Pharma, Strides Arcolab, Hetero Drugs and Roche India to be ready to supply for an order of 20 million capsules at short notice.On september 1, Daiichi Ranbaxy Laboratories got orders from the Centre to supply 900,000 doses of oseltamivir- the generic version of Roche’s anti-viral Tamiflu – used to treat the H1N1 flu, a Ranbaxy spokesman said.Bangalore-based Strides Arcolab also bagged a contract order from the Ministry of Health, Government of India for supply of 7.40 lakh doses of oseltamivir capsules, a day ago to tackle the emergency situation arising out of H1N1 pandemic outbreak in the country, as part of its second round of oseltmavir procurement to bolster the drug stockpile. (See related story)Earlier, India government had procured around 9 million doses of oseltamivir from Hetero Drugs, the only domestic company that has a manufacturing agreement with Roche to make the low cost version of the patented version.The health ministry also gave order to Roche for another one million doses of oseltamivir to complete its 10 million doses drug reserve.The government is procuring oseltamivir at around Rs 280 for a pack of 10 tablets.The health ministry is also considering to stockpile zanamivir (Relenza) –the alternative therapy available in the market against H1N1 swineflu.Relenza has been recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the alternative drug for the treatment of swine flu as in some cases the virus has shown resistance to the drug.The maker of zanamivir, UK-based drug maker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is in currently talks with the Indian government for introducing its patented drug, Relenza.Till now, Relenza has not been recommended for patients in India.GSK is currently not manufacturing the drug in India but it is supplying the drug to many countries across the globe and is also in the process of increasing its manufacturing capacity for the drug. GSK and Biota have the patent over the drug till 2014.The first case of swine flu in the country was reported in May, and the first death in early August.Recently, the government has lifted a ban on the sale of oseltamivir and zanamivir through retail chemists.Oseltmivir to treat H1N1 swine flu has been restricted through government health centres till 15th September, as a measure to prevent random of the drugs the possibility of developing resistance to these two drugs –one of the two available options to treat swine flu.Based in Hyderabad, southern India, Natco Pharma Limited is one of the fast growing pharmaceutical companies from India. Natco has introduced several first time generic drugs in India. Natco currently ranks as number 1 in terms of revenues from among the Indian companies in the oncological segment. Natco has US FDA approved manufacturing facilities both for APIs as well as finished dosage pharmaceutical formulations.Natco recorded a jump in its revenues and profits for the year ended on 31st March, 2009. Natco registered an increase of 28% in its consolidated revenues, which have gone up to Rs. 465 Crores from Rs. 364 crores.Natco’s profit after tax, has also gone up to Rs. 4398 lakhs from Rs. 4052 lakhs, recording an increase of 8%. The growth in profits has been lower on account of expenses on Phase I clinical trials of the new chemical entity being developed by the company.Natco is in the final stages of Phase I clinical trials for its new chemical entity with multiple oncological indications and intends to undertake phase II trials shortly.Natco’s oncology business recorded a 23% jump in earnings (from Rs. 79 Crores to Rs. 97 Crores) as compared to last year. Natco has made significant inroads in its efforts to introduce its products in European and US markets and this has been reflected in its formulations exports, which have grown (from Rs. 14 Crores to Rs. 31 Crores) by nearly 114% over last year.Natco has already tied up with Lupin Limited for para IV litigation on Fosrenol (lanthanum carbonate) of Shire PLC and with Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Limited for a basket of oncology products, apart from Mylan.Generic maker Natco Pharma has launched Natflu – its version of the H1N1 swineflu drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu) in the Indian market.

Natco’s swine flu drug Natflu will be priced at at Rs 480 (US$10) for a bottle of 10 capsules and is available in all licensed pharmacies, the Hyderabad-based firm said in a statement.

Natco is the latest Indian firm to join the fray of generic oseltamivir producers.

Indian government, which was maintaining an oseltamivir stockpile of 10 million doses, has already exhausted or decentralized over 7.5 million capsules to distribute them to the H1N1 infected states.

Now the health ministry plans to buy another 20 million doses of oseltamivir soon for its reserve. The government has alerted and asked the domestic companies like Ranbaxy Labs, Cipla, Natco Pharma, Strides Arcolab, Hetero Drugs and Roche India to be ready to supply for an order of 20 million capsules at short notice.

On september 1, Daiichi Ranbaxy Laboratories got orders from the Centre to supply 900,000 doses of oseltamivir- the generic version of Roche’s anti-viral Tamiflu – used to treat the H1N1 flu, a Ranbaxy spokesman said.

Bangalore-based Strides Arcolab also bagged a contract order from the Ministry of Health, Government of India for supply of 7.40 lakh doses of oseltamivir capsules, a day ago to tackle the emergency situation arising out of H1N1 pandemic outbreak in the country, as part of its second round of oseltmavir procurement to bolster the drug stockpile.

Earlier, India government had procured around 9 million doses of oseltamivir from Hetero Drugs, the only domestic company that has a manufacturing agreement with Roche to make the low cost version of the patented version.

The health ministry also gave order to Roche for another one million doses of oseltamivir to complete its 10 million doses drug reserve.

The government is procuring oseltamivir at around Rs 280 for a pack of 10 tablets.

Recently, the government has lifted a ban on the sale of oseltamivir and zanamivir through retail chemists.

Oseltmivir to treat H1N1 swine flu has been restricted through government health centres till 15th September, as a measure to prevent random of the drugs the possibility of developing resistance to these two drugs –one of the two available options to treat swine flu.

The first case of swine flu in the country was reported in May, and the first death in early August.

Based in Hyderabad, southern India, Natco Pharma Limited is one of the fast growing pharmaceutical companies from India. Natco has introduced several first time generic drugs in India. Natco currently ranks as number 1 in terms of revenues from among the Indian companies in the oncological segment. Natco has US FDA approved manufacturing facilities both for APIs as well as finished dosage pharmaceutical formulations.

Natco recorded a jump in its revenues and profits for the year ended on 31st March, 2009. Natco registered an increase of 28% in its consolidated revenues, which have gone up to Rs. 465 Crores from Rs. 364 crores.

Natco’s profit after tax, has also gone up to Rs. 4398 lakhs from Rs. 4052 lakhs, recording an increase of 8%. The growth in profits has been lower on account of expenses on Phase I clinical trials of the new chemical entity being developed by the company.

Natco is in the final stages of Phase I clinical trials for its new chemical entity with multiple oncological indications and intends to undertake phase II trials shortly.

Natco’s oncology business recorded a 23% jump in earnings (from Rs. 79 Crores to Rs. 97 Crores) as compared to last year. Natco has made significant inroads in its efforts to introduce its products in European and US markets and this has been reflected in its formulations exports, which have grown (from Rs. 14 Crores to Rs. 31 Crores) by nearly 114% over last year.

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Artemether-lumefantrine (four-dose regimen) for treating uncomplicated falciparum malaria

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Artemether-lumefantrine (four-dose regimen) for treating uncomplicated malaria
Malaria is a parasitic disease spread by mosquitoes. It affects millions of people worldwide and causes significant illness and mortality. Uncomplicated malaria presents with symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle pain, and vomiting. The parasite has become resistant to a number of previously effective drugs, and so combinations of drugs are used to try to prevent further resistance. Artemether-lumefantrine is one such drug combination. This review of trials showed that, although the four-dose artemether-lumefantrine regimen was superior to chloroquine, in general the four-dose regimen was less effective compared with the six-dose regimen or other drug combinations. The fact that the four-dose regimen is generally less effective means it is unlikely that it would be used for treating uncomplicated malaria.

This is a Cochrane review abstract and plain language summary, prepared and maintained by The Cochrane Collaboration, currently published in The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2009 Issue 4, Copyright © 2009 The Cochrane Collaboration. Published by John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.. The full text of the review is available in The Cochrane Library (ISSN 1464-780X).
This record should be cited as: Omari AAA, Gamble CL, Garner P. Artemether-lumefantrine (four-dose regimen) for treating uncomplicated falciparum malaria. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2006, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD005965. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD005965.

The World Health Organization recommends artemether-lumefantrine, an expensive drug, as a treatment for uncomplicated malaria. We sought evidence of the superiority of the four-dose regimen over existing treatments.

Objectives
To evaluate the four-dose regimen of artemether-lumefantrine for treating uncomplicated falciparum malaria.

Search strategy
We searched the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group Specialized Register (October 2005), CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library 2005, Issue 3), MEDLINE (1966 to October 2005), EMBASE (1988 to October 2005), LILACS (1982 to October 2005), conference proceedings, and reference lists of articles. We also contacted experts in malaria research and the pharmaceutical company that manufactures artemether-lumefantrine.

Selection criteria
Randomized controlled trials comparing four doses of artemether-lumefantrine with standard treatment regimens (single drug or combination), or six doses of artemether-lumefantrine, for treating uncomplicated falciparum malaria.

Data collection and analysis
Two authors independently applied inclusion criteria to potentially relevant trials, assessed trial quality, and extracted data, including adverse events. Total failure by day 28 (day 42 for sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and day 63 for mefloquine) was the primary outcome.

Main results
Seven trials (2057 participants) tested a four-dose regimen. More people tended to fail treatment with artemether-lumefantrine than with other drugs, including sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (247 participants, 1 trial), halofantrine (86 participants, 1 trial), and mefloquine (233 participants, 1 trial; difference statistically significant for mefloquine). When compared with chloroquine, artemether-lumefantrine was better in two trials (378 participants), but over 50% of the participants treated with chloroquine had total failure by day 28. Fewer people failed treatment with the six-dose regimen compared to the four-dose regimen (RR 7.71, 95% CI 2.99 to 19.88; 306 participants, 1 trial).

Authors' conclusions
The four-dose regimen of artemether-lumefantrine seems to be less effective than regimens against which it has been tested

there are some drugs like , ostalmivir, zanamivir..... which are antiviral drugs... they acts on the NEURAMINIDASE TRANSCRIPTASE ENZYME which is involved in the phenomenon of trancription of v RNA strains ,these drugs inhibiys this transcription or translation phenomenon by acting on that enzyme...

Zanamivir can rarely cause side effects like diarrhea, nausea, sinusitis, nasal infections, bronchitis, cough, headache and dizziness. Side effects are more common in those who have asthma or other chronic lung diseases, according to the CDC.

hi, aishwaryayour doubt is good.... here is the answer...
when this flu attacks ON CHILDREN ,
THE BODY GROWTH OF CHILDREN IS LESS COMPARITIVELY WITH ADULT..N IMMUNE SYSTEM ALSO.. HENCE...THE ATTACK OF H1N1 VIRUS IS VERY EASY ON CHILD N SYMPTOMS OCCURS VERY FASTLY...RATHER THAN IN AN ADULT ONE. THE IMMUNE SYSTEM OF THE ADUKT PERSON IS VERY DEVELOPED COMARITIVELY THAN THE CHILD. HENCE SYMPTOMS OBSERVED AFTER A LONG PERTIOD OF TIME.... AND MOSTLY COMMON SYMPTOMS CAN BE OBSERVED EXCEPT SOME.BUT THE DIAGNOSIS IS SIMILAR IN ALL.

hi....
the antiviral drugs like ostalmivir and zenamivir acts on the neuraminidase transferase enzyme which is responsible for the increase in number of the viral RNAs ... and inhibits the increasing number aiso. they are antiviral drugs.there is a vaccine aiso ,called influenza H1 2009 vaccine