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Dr Reddy`s forays into drug discoveries
Hyderabad, Jan 17: Kallam Anji Reddy, chairman of Dr Reddy`s Laboratories, dreams of producing a blockbuster as the company makes the transition from top copy-cat drug maker to discoverer of new compounds.
Hyderabad, Jan 17: Kallam Anji Reddy, chairman of Dr Reddy's Laboratories, dreams of producing a blockbuster as the company makes the transition from top copy-cat drug maker to discoverer of new compounds.
Ten years of drug discovery research have produced a mixed bag, but Reddy has hopes for a blockbuster even if it takes another ten years to bring to market.
"Our ambition is still to have a blockbuster drug. We are not shy of saying that," the unassuming 61-year old who has taken on the likes of Pfizer, Glaxo SmithKline and Eli Lilly in making versions of their drugs, told Reuters.
Dr Reddy's is preparing to start clinical trials on two drugs to treat heart disease and is optimistic that its discovery could be even more effective than a novel approach used recently with dramatic results by two US firms.
Conventional treatment for heart disease caused by the clogging of arteries with plaque, called atherosclerosis, has focused on lowering the buildup of "bad" cholesterol.
Newer therapies aim directly to attack the plaque buildup. For example, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the so-called good cholesterol, helps strip the fatty deposits from artery walls.
"When we drifted into PPAR (the body's naturally occurring nuclear receptors) research, I did not expect a blockbuster out of it," said Reddy. "Today as an HDL elevator, it is going and sitting pretty thanks to Roger Newton and his company Esperion."
Esperion Therapeutics experimental injectable drug that mimics the effects of HDL showed such significant reversal of artery clogging in trials that it prompted Pfizer to snap up the firm last month.
US-based AtheroGenics has a drug in Phase III, or advanced, trials that reduces the inflammation in arteries that is believed to accelerate the buildup of fats.
One of the Dr Reddy's heart treatments, RUS-3108, has shown an ability to tackle all three stages of plaque formation. By contrast, AtheroGenics' drug appears only to tackle inflammation.
Bureau Report
Ten years of drug discovery research have produced a mixed bag, but Reddy has hopes for a blockbuster even if it takes another ten years to bring to market.
"Our ambition is still to have a blockbuster drug. We are not shy of saying that," the unassuming 61-year old who has taken on the likes of Pfizer, Glaxo SmithKline and Eli Lilly in making versions of their drugs, told Reuters.
Dr Reddy's is preparing to start clinical trials on two drugs to treat heart disease and is optimistic that its discovery could be even more effective than a novel approach used recently with dramatic results by two US firms.
Conventional treatment for heart disease caused by the clogging of arteries with plaque, called atherosclerosis, has focused on lowering the buildup of "bad" cholesterol.
Newer therapies aim directly to attack the plaque buildup. For example, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the so-called good cholesterol, helps strip the fatty deposits from artery walls.
"When we drifted into PPAR (the body's naturally occurring nuclear receptors) research, I did not expect a blockbuster out of it," said Reddy. "Today as an HDL elevator, it is going and sitting pretty thanks to Roger Newton and his company Esperion."
Esperion Therapeutics experimental injectable drug that mimics the effects of HDL showed such significant reversal of artery clogging in trials that it prompted Pfizer to snap up the firm last month.
US-based AtheroGenics has a drug in Phase III, or advanced, trials that reduces the inflammation in arteries that is believed to accelerate the buildup of fats.
One of the Dr Reddy's heart treatments, RUS-3108, has shown an ability to tackle all three stages of plaque formation. By contrast, AtheroGenics' drug appears only to tackle inflammation.
Bureau Report