Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw's Biocon develops new breast cancer drug
Biopharmaceutical major Biocon has launched a new injectable drug for the treatment of a highly prevalent form of breast cancer and has priced its product 25 per cent 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 disease every year. Of that, nearly 25 per cent 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 and priced at Rs 57,500 for a 440 mg vial and Rs 19,500 for a 150 mg vial, has been developed for the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer.
