MUMBAI: Sun Pharmaceutical Industries has announced that one of its wholly-owned subsidiaries has launched a novel anti-cancer drug, Palbociclib, in India for patients who have advanced breast cancer, the most common cancer among women in the country.
The company said it would make the drug available under the brand name, Palenotm (Palbociclib) for 75 mg, 100 mg and 125 mg.
Kirti Ganorkar, Chief Executive Officer for India Business, Sun Pharma, said “We are introducing Palbociclib at an affordable price which will help improve patient access. PALENOTM will address the treatment need of several advanced breast cancer patients in India. For the first time, we are introducing a unique patient assistance program that will improve patient compliance and accessibility.”
According to Sun Pharma, Palbociclib is approved by the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), European Medicines Agency (EMA) and Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) in combination with hormonal therapies for patients with hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer.
The company statement was released on Thursday.
The pharma firm said breast cancer is the largest form of cancer in India, affecting approximately 0.21 million new female patients every year. Among the total patients, approximately 50 per cent are hormone receptor positive breast cancer, the major subtype in breast cancer.
Though hormone receptor-positive breast cancer patients have shown better survival than other subtypes, they may progress to or present with metastatic disease, the firm said.
If a person has hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, it means that their breast cancer cells have estrogen receptors (ERs), progesterone receptors (PRs), or both. (ANI)
