BANGALORE: Biopharmaceutical major Biocon recently launched a new injectable drug for treatment of a highly prevalent form of breast cancer . The product price is 25% lower than existing drugs in the market.

After cervical cancer , breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among Indian women, with 1.5 lakh new patients being diagnosed with the condition every year. Of that, nearly 25% are diagnosed with a particular type of breast cancer known as HER2-positive breast cancer .

This type of breast cancer is said to be the most aggressive and fast growing, having a much higher risk of early recurrence and death. Biocon's new drug, called CANMAb, priced at Rs 57,500 for a 440mg vial and Rs 19,500 for a 150mg vial, has been developed for treating HER2-positive breast cancer.

The drug has been jointly developed by Biocon and US-based generic pharmaceutical major Mylan and is expected to hit the Indian market in early February. The drug will be manufactured in Biocon's facility in Bangalore.

CANMAb will compete with Herceptin, an existing drug priced at Rs 75,000 for a 440mg vial. Herceptin is the innovator (original) product for the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer developed by Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche. Herceptin's global sales stood at $6.4 billion in 2012; in India the figure was $21 million.

"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, which offers the same level of safety and efficacy as the reference product (Herceptin)," said Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw , CMD, Biocon.

