Chandigarh
27 October 2017
DIVYA AZAD
Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Limited, a research-led global integrated pharmaceutical company, announced the launch of Apremilast in India. Apremilast is the first advanced Oral Systemic treatment for Psoriasis in India. Apremilast is a phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitor which is indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe Psoriasis. The launch of Apremilast will revolutionize the treatment of Psoriasis impacting close to 33 million Indians suffering from the condition.
Apremilast is an advanced oral treatment for Psoriasis which addresses the limitations of the current available therapies in India. It acts in a targeted manner at an early stage of the disease progression. Also, it is an immunomodulator whereas the other available drugs in the country are immunosuppressant including biologics and are mostly indicated for the treatment of oncological conditions. Immunosuppressants suppress the immune system thereby making the body susceptible to various infections. Apremilast being animmunomodulator does not suppress the immune system and treats the condition of psoriasis at an intracellular level which will benefit psoriasis patients across the country.
Apremilast is an oral therapy which can be self-administered unlike currently available injectable therapy which have to be administered by paramedics. Further, Apremilast is a safer drug having no effects on other organs like the liver and kidney and does not require routine laboratory diagnostic tests like CBC, liver & Kidney test or TB screening as required in the case of other therapies used currently.
Glenmark has launched Apremilast under the brand name ‘Aprezo’ indicated for the treatment of Psoriasis. Glenmark received approval from DCGI for Apremilast after conducting clinical trials on the molecule as per the regulatory requirements.
Sujesh Vasudevan, President and Head – India, Middle East and Africa, “Glenmark is proud to be the first player to introduce Apremilast, an advanced oral and safe treatment for Psoriasis, in India. Glenmark has been in the field of Dermatology for 4 decades bringing advanced therapies to Indian patients. With the launch of Apremilast, we are aiming to transform the treatment paradigm for millions of Psoriasis patients in the country.”
Rajesh Kapur, Senior Vice President – Sales & Marketing, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, said, “Apremilast is a safer and efficacious treatment compared to the existing treatment available in the country. Apremilast will be the only oral medicine available in the country exclusively for Psoriasis. In addition to this, it also addresses the several limitations of existing treatments like routine laboratory monitoring. We hope that millions of patients in India will now be able to live a better quality of life with this revolutionary treatment.”
World Psoriasis Day
World Psoriasis Day is a big event observed all over the world by the people to increase the awareness among public worldwide with an aim to raise the profile of this debilitating disease and increase awareness of the effect it has on people’s lives. This event is organized on international level by the International Federation of Psoriasis Associations and it is observed on annual basis on 29th October.
Globally, about 3% of the world population has some form of Psoriasis. Another study reveals that the prevalence of psoriasis in countries ranges between 0.09% and 11.43%, making psoriasis as one of the serious global problems.
India has now become one of the largest patient pool in the world and is estimated to have around 33 million psoriasis patients. As per a study on psoriasis in India, with data collected from various medical colleges located in Lucknow, Dibrugarh, Calcutta, Patna, Darbhanga, New Delhi and Amritsar, it was found that the incidence of psoriasis among total skin patients ranged between 0.44 and 2.2%. It was also found that the ratio of male to female (2.46:1) was very high and highest incidence was noted in the age group of 20-39 years.
Apremilast will revolutionize the treatment for 33 million psoriasis patients in the country. Apremilast is the first oral treatment in India specific for psoriasis treatment; it is convenient to administer, it is safer compared to existing therapies and will transform the psoriasis treatment regime in the country.
