Zydus Cadila, a global innovation driven healthcare company, announced that it is launching Enzalutamide, a highly effective drug for the treatment of Prostate Cancer, under the brand name ‘Obnyx’ in India. In a step that can significantly reduce treatment cost by almost 70%, the drug is priced at Rs 5995 (weekly therapy) reducing the monthly treatment cost to less than Rs. 27000. The current MRP of Enzalutamide drug ranges from Rs. 70000 to Rs 80000 for a monthly therapy and can be a huge financial burden for the elderly patients as they need to continue the therapy for a long period of time. This price reduction will benefit many prostate cancer patients to adhere to the treatment.
One of the important aspects of prostate cancer treatment is reducing the effect of androgens (a male reproductive hormone) on prostate gland. Many patients require Androgen Receptor Targeted Therapies like Enzalutamide which works by blocking the effects of androgen to stop the growth and spread of prostate cancer cells. More importantly, it is a preferred option in patients with significant liver, heart and kidney diseases which is very common in the elderly men. Enzalutamide has an advantage of being taken through oral route. Zydus’ Obnyx scores over other formulations in the market as it is a soft gel capsule filled with liquid, similar to the innovator drug. This has been specially developed through in-house efforts. The other formulations available in the market are hard gelatin capsules.
Prostate cancer is one of the leading cancer in males in India and the risk increases with age. About 1 out of 9 men have risk of developing prostate cancer in lifetime. The incidence is nearly 60% in men over the age of 65 years. Other risk factors such as obesity, family history and improper diet have been identified as the main contributing factors towards an increased incidence of prostate cancer.
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