Archive for month: December, 2023

In the partnership arrangement, Intas receives exclusive rights to commercialize Etanercept biosimilars, through its affiliates, for the treatment of various autoimmune diseases, in more than 150 countries across the globe, including Europe and the United States of America, leveraging strong sales, marketing capabilities and experience in successfully commercializing new biosimilars. mAbxience will be responsible for the development, manufacturing, and supply of the Etanercept biosimilar from its state-of-the-art, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) approved facilities.

“Partnering up with mAbxience, who are known for their dedication to quality and innovation, aligns perfectly with our vision. This partnership enables us to achieve our goal of providing high-quality treatments to patients worldwide. Together, we aim to revolutionize the landscape of autoimmune disease treatment,” said Intas’ Vice Chairman, Mr. Binish Chudgar.

Paul Tredwell, Executive Vice President of EMENA, Accord, said, “Accord is delighted to partner with mAbxience, whom we have known for some time as an excellent partner. This partnership cements our commitment to our autoimmune franchise, building on our innovative range of methotrexate products. Etanercept is a key biologic treatment which will continue to support patients. This, along with our future biological launches significantly increases our presence in our growing autoimmune franchise.”

“Expanding our global reach has always been at the core of mAbxience’s vision. Collaborating with Intas allows us to tap into new markets and bring our cutting-edge biosimilar candidate to countless patients battling autoimmune diseases. It reinforces our dedication to leading the way in the biosimilar industry,” said Jurgen Van Broeck, Global Commercial Director, mAbxience.

The financial terms of the transaction remain confidential. 

Read also: Intas Pharma to commercialise Serplulimab in India

Gurugram: Paras Health, a leading healthcare institution, successfully treated a rare congenital heart defect in a 36-year-old male patient, using a stenting procedure.

The patient was experiencing debilitating symptoms for several months. Initially, he diagnosed with abnormal heart sounds at a local hospital before being referred to Paras Health. 

Subsequently, via an eco-cardiography and transesophageal echocardiography at Paras Health – the patient was diagnosed with a rare variant of congenital heart deformity called sinus venosus ASD (Atrial Septal Defect)—a hole in the heart’s upper chambers (atria) wall. This condition led to fatigue, exertion, intolerance, reduced work capacity, and breathlessness, ultimately affecting his daily life and work.

Speaking about the condition, Dr Amit Bhushan Sharma, Director & Unit Head, Cardiology stated, “Adult structural heart deformities are a common detected these days. Among 100 cases of congenital deformities treated at Paras Health, 10-15% are found and treated in adults. This is because certain heart defects go undiagnosed for years due to their mild or tolerated symptomatic nature.

When the heart can no longer tolerate these defects, symptoms tend to manifest later in life. In this case as well the patient was suffering from Sinus Venosus ASD which is one such condition that remains mildly symptomatic and involves the upper part of the atrial septum near the superior vena cava—a large vein that carries blood from the body to the heart.

This type of defect can cause abnormal blood flow from the left atrium to the right atrium, leading to dilatation of right side heart and increased lung pressures.” Which with advancing age can make this defect incurable and can even make patient a candidate for heart lung transplant for survival.

Commenting on the procedure, Dr Deepak Thakur, Consultant, Pediatric and Adult Structural Heart Interventional Cardiologist, Paras Health, Gurugram said, “This successful intervention signifies a significant leap in our ability to treat complex congenital heart defects without subjecting patients to extensive open-heart procedures. The pioneering stenting technique enabled to closing of the defect and redirecting the vein to the correct chamber of the heart effectively and abolishing the abnormal blood flow making chambers get back to their normal physiology .

Remarkably, this intervention was performed under sedation through the groin on the beating heart, without the need for bypass surgery or prolonged ventilator support. One of the notable outcomes was the patient’s rapid recovery, allowing him to return to work the following day without visible scars or pain. Following the intervention, the patient is under regular follow-up care and is expected to resume a normal life, cautioned only to avoid major trauma.”

Dr Amit Bhushan added, “Our hospital aims to take forward the patient-centric and clinically reliable care that we stand for. The success of this case has been a milestone for us, reaffirming our state-of-the-art medical infrastructure/ technology, clinical excellence, and a dedicated team of doctors. Our Cardiac science Department offers complete spectrum of Cardiac services right from Fetal cardiology to gediatric cardiac care”

Patient expressed, “I was unaware of my congenital heart defect for years until it started affecting me severely. Thanks to the team of doctors at Paras Health who took care of me and suggested a best possible treatment for my complex condition. I’m grateful for their care, and I’m thrilled to be back at work within days, feeling healthier.”

Congenital heart diseases commonly affect infants and children, impacting around 10 in every 100 children. However, these conditions can also occur in adults, underscoring the importance of timely diagnosis and specialized care. This milestone achievement positions Paras Health, Gurugram, among the select centers globally capable of performing such intricate non-surgical interventions for congenital heart defects.

“In obese people who underwent bariatric surgery, the risk of developing severe disease requiring hospitalization was 26% lower,” the researchers reported in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

Hidradenitis suppurativa is a chronic inflammatory condition that affects the follicular epithelium of skin folds, characterized by recurrent painful abscesses and nodules, impairing the patient’s quality of life. HS patients frequently exhibit metabolic syndrome (MS), with obesity being identified as a risk factor; almost 20% of obese patients experience HS versus 1% in the general population. However, not many studies have evaluated the impact of weight loss on HS, especially with bariatric surgery, and results are discordant.

Andrea Chierici and colleagues from France aimed to investigate the effects of bariatric surgery on severe suppurative hidradenitis. For this purpose, they used nationwide administrative data in France to conduct a 10-year matched case-control study in patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m2 or greater.

A first analysis was performed among patients without hidradenitis suppurativa, comparing hospitalization risk for severe disease between 297,776 who underwent bariatric surgery and 2,735,930 who did not. A second analysis was performed among patients with hidradenitis suppurativa, comparing hospitalization risk of severe disease between 310 who underwent bariatric surgery and 3875 who did not.

The study led to the following findings:

· Among the patients without hidradenitis suppurativa, 0.08% of those who underwent bariatric surgery had a subsequent hospitalisation for severe hidradenitis suppurativa, compared with 0.11% of those who did not have this surgery. The difference corresponded to a significant 26% reduction in risk with surgery.

· Among the patients who had hidradenitis suppurativa, the hospitalisation rate for severe disease was 3.5 per 100 patient-years in the group who had bariatric surgery, compared with 5.4 per 100 patient-years in the group who did not have this surgery. The difference corresponded to a nonsignificant 32% reduction in risk with surgery.

Findings may have been impacted by confounding and have uncertain generalisability to other populations.

“With its well-known effects in reducing adipose tissue and insulin resistance with its associated inflammation triggering, and with dietary changes tied to metabolic surgery, patients undergoing weight loss surgery should have an inferior risk to develop de novo or recurrent HS,” the researchers wrote.

“There is a need for prospective case-control studies focusing on vitamins, weight loss and micronutrient deficiencies, and mild hidradenitis suppurativa forms incidence, not requiring hospital admission to confirm the protective effect of bariatric surgery,” they concluded.

Reference:

Chierici, A., Bulsei, J., Fatico, S. D., Alromayan, M., Alamri, A., Pavone, G., Liddo, G., Fontas, E., & Iannelli, A. Effects of bariatric surgery on severe suppurative hidradenitis: Results of a nationwide administrative data study in France. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jdv.19649