German Remedies, a part of the Zydus Group, has launched Fludara Oral (Fludarabine) for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. This orally administered drug, is being introduced for the first time in India and is a product of Berlex Inc., a US affiliate of Schering AG Germany.

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL). is a cancer of the lymphocytes. It is a serious, progressive disease which currently has no cure. The disease is unknown in childhood, very uncommon in young people and becomes progressively more common with increasing age. It occurs mostly in people over the age of 50 and is rare in people under the age of 40. CLL is about twice as frequent in men as in women.

Patients diagnosed with CLL need to undergo chemotherapy as a part of the treatment. Alkylating cytotoxic chemotherapies create a toxic environment within the blood to destroy malignant cells. The conventional chemotherapy has many side effects including hair loss.

Fludarabine has emerged as one of the leading drugs for treatment of CLL, whether it is used as a stand-alone therapy or as a combination therapy. It helps control CLL by shortening the life span of existing leukemia cells and interferes with the making of new DNA, thus preventing leukemia cells from growing. With this treatment the remission can last for several years, thereby increasing the span of survival.

Till very recently, the only way to administer this important therapy was through an IV injection, which is time consuming both for the patient and the healthcare system.

Fludara Oral is a revolutionary treatment for patients undergoing therapy for CLL. It has been approved as the first line of treatment for CLL in India. With the oral therapy, the patient can take a pill at home without the inconvenience of being injected with the IV which requires the presence of a physician. It is also a boon for patients with CLL who have failed previous therapy with an alkylating agent. Another advantage that Fludara Oral has over other treatments is that it causes fewer side effects commonly seen with the conventional chemotherapy, such as hair loss.

J C Jani, executive director of Zydus Cadila and head of German Remedies stated that, "We have been introducing several new therapies that can improve the quality of life for the patients and enable better disease management. With oncology being one of our core therapy areas, this new addition further strengths our product portfolio of critical-care therapies which includes cytostatics."

German Remedies currently markets Holoxan, Endoxan, Niltamide in the oncology segment and is ranked fifth in the participated segment.