Tribune News ServiceChandigarh, May 3
An age-old dream of the dermatologists of surmounting the serious reactive effects in patients associated with a very popular anti-psoriatic drug, dithranol, has now become a reality at the University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), Panjab University. A team of scientists and researchers led by Prof O. P. Katare, currently the chairman of the institute, has reached a landmark success in the discovery of novel drug delivery product.
The product is a liposomal formulation of dithranol, which has been undergoing various phases of formulation research at the institute for the last seven years. The clinical studies carried out at the Department of Dermatology, Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, under the leadership of Prof Bhushan Kumar, revealed a phenomenal decrease in the tendency of the drug to cause severe skin irritation, and staining on skin and clothes.
Psoriasis is a dreadful skin disorder afflicting over 125 million people across the globe. This inflammatory disorder characterised by severe itching, scaling and burning of skin, is soaring in around 3-5 per cent of Indian populace. Till date despite the success of dithranol in treating psoriatic disorder, the patients were hardly willing to comply with its treatment owing to their fear of drug’s adverse effects.
This significant discovery would pave the way of not only improving the therapeutic potential and aesthetic appeal of the drug, but in reducing its dose to about 40 per cent of the erstwhile.
Looking at the tremendous commercial promise of this drug product,
M/s Lifecare Innovations Pvt. Ltd., Gurgaon (LIPL), has come forward to own the product for large scale production and marketing. Yesterday, an agreement was signed between Panjab University represented by Prof. S. S. Bari, Registrar, and M/s Lifecare Innovations Pvt. Ltd. represented by Dr J. N. Verma, its Managing Director, and Prof K. N. Pathak, Vice-chancellor, PU, handed over the documents of “technology transfer”.
A brief presentation of the product and technology by Prof. O. P. Katare highlighted the major features of the research. Prof. Veer Singh, Dean, University Instructions, PU and Prof A. K. Saihjpal, Hony. Director, Centre for Industry Institute Partnership Programme (CIIPP), Panjab University, were also present.
