Sun Pharma, ICGEB in pact to develop novel botanical cure for dengue

Sun Pharmaceuticals Ltd, India's largest pharmaceutical company, has joined hands with the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) Delhi chapter, to develop a "novel" plant-based cure for dengue.

The drug, Cissampelos pariera (Cipa), which is based on traditional Ayurvedic knowledge, is projected as the first plant-based medicine to be clinically validated on the lines of any chemical drug in India. In another four years, India could have a pill for curative and even preventive dengue therapy.

''Today we have signed an agreement for the development of Cissampelos pariera (Cipa), a botanical drug, in collaboration with ICGEB. Usually any drug development takes around 4-8 years but since we have done some pre-clinical work already we expect the drug to hit markets in the next four years,'' Sun Pharma senior vice-president, business development and portfolio management Kirti Ganorkar said.

The programme is supported by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) of the ministry of science and technology.

"The US FDA approved four botanical drugs from China last year," said Dr Naveen Khanna of the ICGEB, "India should wake up and create these drugs with the help of modern science."

The botanical drug for dengue is the result of eight years of research by Khanna's team at ICGEB, supported by ayurveda specialists at Ranbaxy, before it was acquired by Sun Pharma in 2014.

India accounts for a bulk of dengue cases, with Delhi alone reporting 10,683 cases by October last year, while nearly half of the global population is at risk of the disease.

The drug is derived from the plant Cissampelos pareira Linn, commonly known as abuta, and laghu patha in ayurveda. Its extract has shown to inhibit all four strains of dengue (DENVs). The Cipa drug also taps into the push towards traditional medicine by the Narendra Modi government.

Last December, encouraged by the ministry of AYUSH, the Indian Council of Medical Research signed an MoU with the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences to develop treatment for dengue.

Scientists from both the ICGEB and Sun Pharma support any "holistic" medicine with the clinical trials of modern science, so that, it could be prescribed by all doctors, not just AYUSH practitioners. Drugs under AYUSH, with no such clinical trials can only be prescribed by AYUSH doctors.

The DBT is reported to have approached ICGEB to study plant extracts for dengue treatment, and connected them with Ranbaxy's 80-member team of ayurveda specialists.

It is not yet fully explained how the drug - extract of Cissampelos pareira - interferes with the dengue virus, but it is well established that it does and this needs to be explained scientifically and validated empirically.

Sun Pharam with presence in markets several countries, will also have patent for the new drug in 17 countries.

The currently available vaccine, mainly Sanofi Pasteur's Dengvaxia, cleared clinical trials in parts of Latin America last year, and is reportedly being brought to India. But scientists involved with Cipa doubt the efficacy of any of the current cures for dengue.