JB Pharma Slashes Price Of Heart Failure Drug By 50

Heart failure is a chronic condition in which the heart doesn’t pump blood as well as it should. It is a progressive chronic syndrome characterised by a decrease in functional status and quality of life. Blood often backs up and causes fluid to build up in the lungs (congest) and in the legs

JB Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals announced a substantial price decrease of approximately 50 per cent for the critical heart failure drug “Azmarda”.  Azmarda, which contains the patented molecule Saccubutril-Valsartan is indicated for Heart failure which ails 8 to 12 million people in the country.  

After the price reduction, Azmarda, 50 mg will be available at INR 39.6 per tablet as compared to INR 78 per tablet.   

Commenting on the move, Dilip Singh Rathore, President Domestic Business, JB Pharma, said, “JB has decided to take the lead in making their Azmarda drug more accessible and affordable for heart failure patients in India. With this move, the overall monthly treatment cost will reduce significantly from INR 4500 to INR 2200. The HF drug also helps in reducing hospitalization cost by around INR 1,00,000 at the minimum.” 

He further added, “JB will also institute over 300+ ‘Heart failure’ clinics across the country so that patients are able to detect the condition early and make informed health decisions,” 

Heart failure is a chronic condition in which the heart doesn’t pump blood as well as it should. It is a progressive chronic syndrome characterised by a decrease in functional status and quality of life. Blood often backs up and causes fluid to build up in the lungs (congest) and in the legs.  

The fluid build-up can cause shortness of breath and swelling of the legs and feet. It is estimated that 8 – 12 million people in the country suffer from heart failure (HF) as a condition. It often remains undiagnosed, and patients become aware of it mostly at the end-stage. Approximately 80-90 per cent of patients have Left Ventricular HF with a nearly even (50-50) split between HFrEF (Heart Failure Reduced Ejection Fraction) and HFpEF (Heart Failure Preserved Ejection Fraction). 

Given incidences of hospitalization and high mortality, HF is a specialist-driven condition (50-70 per cent of the patient pool is with Cardiologists and 5-10 per cent with Diabetologists). In India, HF affects a relatively younger population compared to the western world.  

This move by JB will not only help reduce the cost of treatment but will also help enhance the productive years of patients and their quality of life, the company added.