Sickle cell anaemia treatment: New medicine, Hydroxyurea, will be available in India at Rs 600
A new treatment for sickle cell anaemia, Hydroxyurea, will now be available in India at 600 INR per vial. The price is set to less than 1 per cent of the cost of its imported versions.
Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder, marked by flawed haemoglobin. The condition kills red blood cells at an increased rate. Where a normal blood cell can live up to 120 days, sickle cells only live for about 10-20 days. This puts the patients at a greater risk of chronic infections.
India’s new sickle cell drug
Hydroxyurea is manufactured by Delhi-based Akums Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Ltd. The manufacturers claimed that they will provide the drug to the Indian government at around Rs 600 per vial, unlike the versions sold by global brands for around Rs 77,000 per vial. The new drug is known to remain stable at Indian room temperature as compared to the other versions which require a storage temperature of two to eight degrees Celsius.
The Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya appreciating the drug on X, formerly known as Twitter. He said that the medicine will help India eradicate sickle cell disease. ‘This medicine will prove to be a blessing for our tribal brothers, sisters and children and we can make India free from sickle cell soon,’ he stated.
Sickle cell anaemia in India
According to the reports, India contributes as a second highest country with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) cases to the global number of cases. The data showed that 1 in 86 births in the country suffer with SCD.
Dr Rahul Bhargava, Principal Director & Chief BMT, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram, said that the fear of a large number of the tribal patients slipping through the cracks is real. “This means they have access to diagnosis and treatment. There are about 706 different tribal communities in India, accounting for 8.6 per cent of the total population,” he said.
Indian states where tribal population is the highest, like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha, contributes an estimation of 75 per cent of country’s total sickle cell disease.
