Bengaluru: City-based researchers have come up with a made-in-India dialysis machine, which is expected to reduce cost of the medical procedure.

Designed by Renalyx Health Systems, the machine, RxT17, started undergoing clinical trials at JSS Medical College Hospital, Mysuru, from March 2. A 40-year-old renal disorder patient was the first to undergo dialysis on the new machine on March 2.

Dialysis machines are now imported from Germany, Sweden and China at a cost of Rs 10-11 lakh a piece. A dialysis session costs between Rs 2,500 and Rs 4,000. The new machine is likely to be priced at Rs 4 lakh and it could reduce the cost of dialysis to Rs 1,000.

The machine is cloud-enabled and can be connected to a mobile app, so that nephrologists can monitor its functioning and the patient’s response from anywhere.

“There are only 1,400 nephrologists in India and only 200 in Karnataka. There is a need to bridge the gap between patients and doctors through technological intervention. We can take the new dialysis machine to rural areas too, given its ability to connect seamlessly and its capacity to run on solar power. Such features are not available in dialysis machines imported from Japan, the US and Germany,” says Shyam Vasudev Rao, an Indian Institute of Science (IISc) alumnus and founder-chairman of Renalyx.

Work on the machine began in 2013, driven by the vision to “create innovative and inclusive solutions for comprehensive renal care.”

Dr Lloyd Vincent, a nephrologist and co-founder of Renalyx, said the objective was to reduce the cost. “We have a project monitoring committee with alumni from Bombay and Delhi IITs as well as AIIMS, Delhi. The clinical trials are going on successfully. The product has been funded by the department of science and technology, New Delhi,” he said.

The company has patents and active collaborations with premier institutions, including IIT Kharagpur, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) and PESIT in Bengaluru.

Production may begin in August

“As manufacturers, we would not have control over how much the hospital charges once it is sold. But we want to make sure that dialysis will be cost-effective,” said Dr Ajay Sharma, chief research officer, Renalyx. He said production of the machine is likely to begin in August 2018.

Speaking to TOI, Dr Sankaran Sundar, president of South Indian Nephrologists Association, said the new machine provides the hope of affordable treatment to renal patients and nephrologists in India.

