Treatment of visceral leishmaniasis: anomalous pricing and distribution of AmBisome and emergence of an indigenous liposomal amphotericin B, FUNGISOME
IR@IICB: CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata
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Title |
Treatment of visceral leishmaniasis:
anomalous pricing and distribution of
AmBisome and emergence of an indigenous
liposomal amphotericin B, FUNGISOME
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Creator |
Bhattacharya, Pradyot
Ali, Nahid |
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Subject |
Infectious Diseases and Immunology
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Description |
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is one of the
severest forms of parasite borne diseases worldwide with a
mortality rate second only to malaria. Treatment of VL
patients with currently available chemotherapeutic agents
poses problems of large scale failure, toxicity, prolonged
hospitalization time, high treatment cost and drug resistance.
However, most of these problems can be overcome
by the use of liposomal formulations of Amphotericin B
(L-AmB). Of the two L-AmBs currently available in Indian
market, AmBisome is imported and FUNGISOME is
indigenous. Initially AmBisome remained exorbitantly
costly and therefore inaccessible to most of the VL
patients. However, with the launch of FUNGISOME in
India, Gilead in agreement with WHO started a donation
program of AmBisome in developing countries through a
slashed price of US $18 per vial. The price reduction is,
however, restricted to clinical trials thus eluding majority
of the VL patients. In fact, India was not included in this
program and AmBisome was sold in Indian market at
prices higher than the WHO proposed price of US $18 per
vial. FUNGISOME, on the other hand, produced consistently
good results against VL both clinically and experimentally.
In the context of unavailability and price
anomaly of AmBisome, successful emergence of FUNGISOME
could mark it as the major L-AmB against VL.
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Date |
2014
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Type |
Article
PeerReviewed |
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Format |
application/pdf
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Identifier |
http://www.eprints.iicb.res.in/2095/2/J_Parasitic_Diseases_Pradyot;__2014.pdf
Bhattacharya, Pradyot and Ali, Nahid (2014) Treatment of visceral leishmaniasis: anomalous pricing and distribution of AmBisome and emergence of an indigenous liposomal amphotericin B, FUNGISOME. Journal of Parasitic Diseases. pp. 1-2. ISSN 0971-7196 |
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Relation |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12639-014-0607-3
http://www.eprints.iicb.res.in/2095/ |
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