Nicholas Piramal Files Anti-Cancer Drug Patent

Pharmaceutical major Nicholas Piramal India has filed its first patent for an anti-cancer molecule, code-named NP 102.

The new molecule is a cyclin-dependent kinase 4 inhibitor. The compounds will be send to the US for further toxicology and xenograft testing. The company has filed an application in India and the US and will file a Paris Convention Treaty patent application subsequently.

In addition to this oncology compound, research initiatives are underway for four national chemical entity (NCE) compounds in cardiovascular, diabetes and anti-fungal.

If the company gets the approval for the Paris Convention Treaty patent, Nicholas Piramal will be able to export the product in more than 140 European countries. It will boost the export revenue of the company.

On an average, drug patent applications will get approvals in the next two years in European countries, while the US, the largest pharmaceutical market in the world, offers patent approval in 2-3 years' time from the date of filing the application.

The filing of its anti-cancer molecule patent can be considered as the best move in the wake of the post-patents regime in 2005. "Unless domestic pharma companies discover their own drugs, introduction of new products in India and abroad will be affected in the patents regime," analysts said.

"The studies will be completed in the next six months. This is a clear indication that our business-driven research and development initiatives that are in place at our research centre -- the Quest Institute of Life Sciences - is giving results," Swati Piramal, director and chief scientific officer of Nicholas Piramal India, said in a press release.

The search for new cancer drugs is an ongoing effort in major drug companies and institutes across the world. Nicholas Piramal's plans for NCEs are on course as per our roadmap, Piramal added.

Nicholas Piramal acquired the Hoechst Marion Roussel Discovery Research centre in 1998 and began the business driven R&D programme there. The main focus of the basic research is the development of NCEs in select therapeutic areas.