Cheaper and more affordable breast cancer treatment is what many breast cancer patients hope for and while treatment cost for the condition still remains prohibitive, a drug maker has offered a cheaper alternative. Biocon, a biotechnology firm based in Bangalore, India has launched the breast cancer drug CANMAb, a biosimilar version of Herceptin, which is considered as one of the most effective medicines in targeting HER 2 cancer cells. CANMAb works by interfering with the production of Her2 protein and stopping the growth of cancer cells.
"Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer among Indian women ahead of cervical cancer and CANMab will offer a high quality, more affordable option to breast cancer patients in India," the company said in a press release. "Approximately, 1.5 lakh new patients are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in India, of which nearly 25% cases are HER2-positive and eligible for treatment with CANMAb."
The drug, which was developed in partnership with US-based Mylan, will be sold at a price that's 25 percent cheaper than Roche's Herceptin, which is already priced significantly lower in India than in developed countries, making breast cancer treatment relatively affordable for Indian patients.
"CANMAb will be available at about 25% discount to the current list price of the reference product in India, which is already significantly lower than its price in developed markets," Biocon's press release reads. "In addition, CANMAb's 150 mg formulation, priced at Rs 19,500/vial, will allow extra savings to patients as they can buy smaller quantities as per their requirement. "
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, chairperson and managing director of Biocon said the company wants to make breast cancer treatment more affordable and accessible in India.
"Biocon intends to make a significant difference in the treatment paradigm for HER2-positive breast cancer in India by enhancing access to more affordable treatment with CANMAb (biosimilar trastuzumab), which offers the same level of safety and efficacy as the reference product, " Mazumdar-Shaw said. "The launch of CANMAb in India is an important milestone for our biosimilars program and demonstrates our ability to deliver on our promise of affordable innovation with a high quality, world-class product."
CANMAb is given intravenously once a week or once in three weeks depending on the patient's condition. Both of CANMAb's 150 and 440 mg formulations can also be stored up to one month minimizing instances of under dosing and wasting the drug.
