Venus Remedies gets Oz patent nod for anti-bacterial drug

Drug firm Venus Remedies today said it has received approval from the Australian Patent Office (APO) for its product Vancoplus, used for treating bacterial infections.

"After Potentox, this is company's second patent grant from the Australian Patent Office, Government of Australia, and is valid till February 2026," Venus Remedies said in a statement.

Venus Remedies JMD and Director Research Manu Chaudhary said: "As antimicrobial resistance is a growing concern globally, getting this patent grant from Australia for our antimicrobial resistance product Vancoplus is like a milestone in the war against microbial resistance."

According to the firm, Vancoplus is the only known remedy to control Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), VRSA (Vancomycin Resistance Staphylococcus aureus) and multi- drug resistant bacteria which cause several difficult to treat infections in humans.

The total market size of MRSA globally accounts for $9 billion and is expected to reach $12.4 billion by 2017, Venus Remedies said.

The company has already received patent approvals for the product from countries as USA, Japan, South Africa, New Zealand and Ukraine and is expecting approvals from Canada, Europe, Brazil, Mexico and India, it added.

Shares of Venus Remedies were today trading at Rs 170 on the BSE in the afternoon trade, up 4.1% from its previous close.