Ranbaxy Launches Synriam -- India’s first new drug

-- Dedicates New Age Cure For Malaria to the Nation, on World Malaria Day --

Gurgaon, India, April 25, 2012 -- Opening a new chapter in the history of Research & Development in India, Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited (Ranbaxy) today launched India’s first new drug, Synriam(TM), for the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria, in adults.

At a function held in New Delhi, Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad, Hon’ble Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India, and Mr. Vilasrao Deshmukh, Hon’ble Minister of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Govt. of India, unveiled India’s first new drug Synriam(TM) with Ranbaxy dedicating the New Age Cure for Malaria to the Nation, on World Malaria Day.

The new drug has been approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for marketing in India and conforms to the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) for using combination therapy in malaria. Synriam(TM) provides quick relief from most malaria-related symptoms, including fever, and has a high cure rate of over 95 per cent.

Phase III clinical trials for the drug conducted in India, Bangladesh and Thailand successfully demonstrated the efficacy and tolerability of Synriam(TM) as comparable to the combination of artemether and lumefantrine.

The dosage regimen is simple as the patient is required to take just one tablet per day, for three days, compared to other medicines where two to four tablets are required to be taken, twice daily, for three or more days. This makes Synriam(TM) a convenient option, leading to better compliance. The drug is also independent of dietary restrictions for fatty foods or milk, as is the case with older anti-malarial therapies. Since Synriam(TM) has a synthetic source, unlike artemisinin-based drugs, production can be scaled up whenever required and a consistent supply can be maintained at a low cost.

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(press release)