New drug-combination promises prevention of restenosis

A new patent-pending drug combination promises prevention and effective treatment of restenosis -- a narrowing of blood vessels -- in case of patients who have undergone heart bypass surgeries.

There are close to 50 per cent chances of reoccurrence of restenosis in patients who undergo expensive heart surgeries to treat a blockage in arteries, says hematologist Jagmohan Singh Oberoi, who has sought a patent on the drug combination after more than 20 years of research.

At present, no medication ensure 100 per cent prevention of restenosis and there remains a risk of undergoing the expensive procedures like surgeries again to treat the condition, he pointed out.

The new drug combination holds the potential to increase the probability of treatment of restenosis to 70-75 per cent, Oberoi said.

Speaking about why the present treatment does not offer a credible solution to restenosis, he pointed out that present drugs target to treat half of the problem of the blockage.

The present drugs treat only haemoglobin part or 50 per cent of the blood clot problem known as thrombosis. These do not treat non-haemoglobin part of thrombosis which increases the risk of patients relapsing into blockage problem after the treatment.

The combination of two enzymes, however, targets both haemoglobin and non-haemoglobin part of thrombosis and increases the chances of full recovery.

The patent is pending with the Indian Patent Office, Oberoi said. He said that after getting a patent he would seek collaboration with big pharma companies to hold clinical trials of the drug combination.

"The drug holds the potential to prevent restenosis cost-effectively and save lakhs of rupees of patients in retreatment of artery blockage," he said.