Mumbai: Biocon Ltd on Thursday said it has launched biosimilar bevacizumab, used to treat several types of cancer, under the brand name Krabeva in India, at Rs24,000 for 100 mg/4 ml vials and Rs39,990 for 400 mg/16 ml vials.
Krabeva is Biocon’s second biosimilar for cancer treatment introduced in India. It is indicated as a first-line treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer and also used to treat lung, kidney, cervical, ovarian and brain cancers.
Currently, bevacizumab is sold in India by innovator Roche under the name Avastin and biosimilar versions of the drug by Intas Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Hetero Healthcare Ltd, Cadila Healthcare Ltd and Lupin Ltd, according to data from market research firm AIOCD-AWACS.
The price of Roche Avastin for 100 mg is Rs41,250. The biosimilars from various companies are available in the range of Rs22,000 to Rs27,100, as per the AIOCD-AWACS data.
Krabeva is being launched post successful completion of phase-III clinical trials and approval from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), the Bengaluru-based company said in a press release, adding that the product has a unique ‘Qual-Check’ mechanism, which will ensure that patients get a quality-ascertained product right up to infusion and a temperature-sensitive packaging.
Incidence of cancer is likely to reach alarming numbers with over 17.3 lakh new cases of cancer and over 8.8 lakh cancer deaths projected in India by 2020 as per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).