Cadila launches first indigenously prepared TB drug

Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd today launched Risorine, the first indigenously prepared drug for the treatment of tuberculosis in India.

"The launch of Risorine, which is the world's first boosted Rifampicin-containing fixed dose combination, promises to alter the way tuberculosis is treated at a global level," said Cadila Pharma chairman Indravada Modi.
 
"Tuberculosis is a major cause of many illnesses and deaths worldwide. Globally, 9.2 million new cases and 1.7 million deaths from TB occurred in 2006. India is home to over 3.4 million tuberculosis patients, which is about one-fifth of the global figure, which makes it the most TB-prevalent country," added Modi.

In a multi-centric trial conducted across the country in patients with radiologically confirmed diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis, more than 90 per cent of the patients treated with Risorine were found to have been cured of tuberculosis with comparatively lesser side effects and a better safety profile, Dr Naresh Patel, a consultant scientist of Cadila, added.

Risorine, he said, offers a cost-effective solution for treating the huge number of tuberculosis cases detected annually in the country, he added.

The drug is the result of a public-private partnership between the Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, a Jammu-based unit of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, and Cadila Pharma.