German Remedies launches Fludara Oral for lymphocytic leukaemia

EPP News Bureau - Mumbai

German Remedies, a part of the Zydus group, has launched Fludara Oral (fludarabine) for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. This orally administered drug is being introduced for the first time in India and is a product of Berlex Inc, a US affiliate of Schering AG, Germany. Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL) is a cancer of the lymphocytes. It is a serious, progressive disease which currently has no cure. The disease is unknown in childhood, very uncommon in young people and becomes progressively more common with increasing age. It occurs mostly in people over the age of 50 and is rare in people under the age of 40. CLL is about twice as frequent in men as in women.

J C Jani, executive director of Zydus Cadila and head of German Remedies stated that ``We have been introducing several new therapies that can improve the quality of life for the patients and enable better disease management. With oncology being one of the core therapy areas, this new addition further strengths our product portfolio of critical area therapies which include cytostatics.’’

Fludarabine has emerged as one of the leading drugs for treatment of CLL, whether it is used as a stand-alone therapy or as a combination therapy. It helps control CLL by shortening the life-span of existing leukaemia cells and interferes with the making of new DNA, thus preventing leukaemia cells from growing. With this treatment the remission can last for several years, thereby increasing the span of survival.