More venture capitals start chasing cancer-focused firms

Threat and opportunities are two sides of the same coin here. While cancer is one of the biggest threats the healthcare sector is witnessing today, it has also thrown open a number of investment opportunities. 

Cancer detection and treatment focused companies attracted almost $17 million from VC (venture capital) investors during 2013. Norwest led the charge, which deployed $11 million in the cancer-focused medical devices maker Perfint Healthcare and $4 million in cancer-focused diagnostics chain Nueclear Healthcare. Cancer-focused drug development firm Invictus Oncology attracted $1.9 million from Aarin Capital and Navam Capital. 

With the number of patients detected with cancer expected to rise to 1.4 million by 2016 from 1.2 million now, cancer care presents various business opportunities. 

The share of healthcare and life sciences (HLS) companies in VC investments during 2013 rose to 13.1% (in volume terms) compared to 8.3% in the previous year, according to analysis by Venture Intelligence, a research service focused on private company financials, transactions and valuations. In contrast, the share of IT & ITeS companies - the regular favorite of VC investors - remained static during 2013 at 63% and the share of other industries like education, financial services and energy declined sharply. 

The HLS industry attracted 27 VC investments worth $181 million in 2013, with hospitals and clinic chains accounting for 15 of the deals. Overall VC investments during 2013 - at 206 deals worth about $805 million - had dipped about 18% compared to 2012 (which had witnessed 252 transactions worth $898 million). 

"Healthcare has clearly emerged as a strong No. 2, for VC investments after IT&ITES. Traditionally only PE investors fancied healthcare as they saw it as a downturn proof. Now, we are seeing VC funds chase healthcare startups. With India as the global headquarters for heart, cancer and diabetic related ailments, healthcare sector presents unique set of investment opportunities," Arun Natarajan, CEO of Venture Intelligence said. 

Maternity and child-care chains found special favour with VC investors with Cloud Nine raising $16.3 million from Sequoia Capital India and existing investor Matrix Partners India; Rhea Healthcare raising $13.5 million from Peepul Capital and Surya Child Care raising $9 million from OrbiMed. Helion Ventures invested $6.5 million in LifeCell, marking the first investment in the stem cell banking sector in India. 

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/More-venture-capitals-start-chasing-cancer-focused-firms/articleshow/29430758.cms

Cancer hospital to come up on acquired land - Times Of India

Cancer hospital to come up on acquired land - Times Of India

Apollo Hospitals to Host International Forum on Battling Cancer - Moneylife

Apollo Hospitals to Host International Forum on Battling Cancer - Moneylife

Harlan sets up first animal breeding facility in India

Harlan sets up first animal breeding facility in India

Strengthening and diversifying product portfolio drives M&A activity - Express Pharma Online

Strengthening and diversifying product portfolio drives M&A activity - Express Pharma Online

Biocon’s cheaper cancer biosimilar drug to hit market in Feb | Business Line

Biocon’s cheaper cancer biosimilar drug to hit market in Feb | Business Line

AIIMS starts cancer clinic - Times Of India

AIIMS starts cancer clinic - Times Of India

Conference to focus on cancer in children - The Hindu

Conference to focus on cancer in children - The Hindu

71 cancer care institutes sanctioned: Azad - The Hindu

71 cancer care institutes sanctioned: Azad - The Hindu

Govt moves to make three key cancer drugs cheaper

In a move that will benefit thousands of cancer patients but is likely to upset pharma MNCs, the Department of Pharmaceuticals has started the process of issuing compulsory licences for three commonly used anti-cancer drugs, Trastuzumab (or Herceptin, used for breast cancer), Ixabepilone (used for chemotherapy) and Dasatinib (used to treat leukaemia).

Compulsory licensing (CL) by the government allows a domestic company to manufacture and sell a generic version of a patented drug with or without the consent of the patent-holder. Sections 84 and 92 of the Indian Patents Act, 1970, provide for CL in cases where the patented drug is unavailable, unaffordable, or if there are problems with its supply in India. CL reduces the price of a drug manifold, and is a practice in many developing countries.

The first drug to be issued a compulsory licence in India was Bayer's Nexavar (sorafenib tosylate), a drug for liver cancer, last August. After the CL, Nexavar is available for Rs 8,880 per pack of 120 tablets (a month's dose), over 95% cheaper than its pre-CL price.

Trastuzumab, Ixabepilone and Dasatinib are all more expensive that Nexavar, costing Rs 50,000, Rs 70,000-80,000 and Rs 15,000 respectively for a month's dose.

Officials at the Department of Pharmaceuticals said it was too early to predict the post-CL price of these drugs. Dr Shyam Aggarwal, consultant oncologist at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said, "Even after the recent cut in the prices of Trastuzumab and Dasatinib, they are still way too expensive for the common man. It is a very good move and will not just benefit Indians but possibly also bring down cancer drug prices in countries where the pharma market is not controlled by the US and western European nations."

Source: http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/govt-moves-to-make-three-key-cancer-drugs-cheaper/1058247/ 

Cancer victims to hold protest - Times Of India

Cancer victims to hold protest - Times Of India

Chennai has largest number of child cancer cases, Delhi second on list - Times Of India

Chennai has largest number of child cancer cases, Delhi second on list - Times Of India

Chennai has largest number of child cancer cases, Delhi second on list - Times Of India

Chennai has largest number of child cancer cases, Delhi second on list - Times Of India

Colorectal cancer cases on the rise in Gujarat - Times Of India

Colorectal cancer cases on the rise in Gujarat - Times Of India

Manmohan Singh lays foundation stone for high-tech cancer facility | GulfNews.com

Manmohan Singh lays foundation stone for high-tech cancer facility | GulfNews.com

71 cancer care institutes sanctioned: Azad - The Hindu

71 cancer care institutes sanctioned: Azad - The Hindu

71 cancer care institutes sanctioned: Azad - The Hindu

71 cancer care institutes sanctioned: Azad - The Hindu

Galena Biopharma and Dr. Reddy's Announce Strategic Partnership for NeuVax(TM) in India

Galena licenses commercial rights to Dr. Reddy's for NeuVax(TM) (nelipepimut-S) in breast and gastric cancers

-- Dr. Reddy's to lead the development of NeuVax in Gastric Cancer, significantly expanding the potential addressable patient population

-- Galena to receive development and sales milestones, as well as double-digit royalties on net sales

-- Licensing and development terms contracted conditioned upon agreement on ancillary activities

Galena Biopharma GALE +1.72% and Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd. RDY +0.39% today announced a strategic development and commercialization partnership on NeuVax(TM) (nelipepimut-S) in India.

Galena Biopharma is a biopharmaceutical company commercializing and developing innovative, targeted oncology treatments that address major unmet medical needs to advance cancer care. Dr. Reddy's is an integrated global pharmaceutical company, committed to providing affordable and innovative medicines for healthier lives.

"This partnership with Dr. Reddy's is consistent with our strategy to expand the clinical utility of NeuVax in unmet medical needs while simultaneously increasing the commercial footprint of this innovative cancer immunotherapy," said Mark J. Ahn, Ph.D., President and CEO of Galena Biopharma. "Dr. Reddy's is a leading pharmaceutical company in India with significant commercialization and development expertise. The gastric cancer trial will add a significant indication to our pipeline for NeuVax, while doubling our potential patient population if approved."

G V Prasad, Chairman and CEO, Dr. Reddy's commented, "The partnership accelerates our strong commitment to innovation and efforts to bring newer options for cancer patients. We are delighted with our partnership with Galena Biopharma and we believe NeuVax can be a good potential treatment option to prevent the recurrence of breast and gastric cancer."

About NeuVax(TM) (nelipepimut-S)

NeuVax(TM) (nelipepimut-S) is the immunodominant nonapeptide derived from the extracellular domain of the HER2 protein, a well-established target for therapeutic intervention in breast carcinoma. The nelipepimut-S sequence stimulates specific CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) following binding to HLA-A2/A3 molecules on antigen presenting cells (APC). These activated specific CTLs recognize, neutralize and destroy, through cell lysis, HER2 expressing cancer cells, including occult cancer cells and micrometastatic foci. The nelipepimut immune response can also generate CTLs to other immunogenic peptides through inter- and intra-antigenic epitope spreading. Based on a successful Phase 2 trial, which achieved its primary endpoint of disease-free survival (DFS), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted NeuVax a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) for its Phase 3 PRESENT (Prevention of Recurrence in Early-Stage, Node-Positive Breast Cancer with Low to Intermediate HER2 Expression with NeuVax Treatment) study. The PRESENT trial is ongoing and additional information on the study can be found at www.neuvax.com . A randomized, multicenter investigator sponsored, 300 patient Phase 2b clinical trial is also enrolling patients to study NeuVax in combination with Herceptin(R) (trastuzumab; Genentech/Roche).

According to the National Cancer Institute, over 230,000 women in the U.S. are diagnosed with breast cancer annually. Of these women, only about 25% are HER2 positive (IHC 3+). NeuVax targets the approximately 50%-60% of these women who are HER2 low to intermediate (IHC 1+/2+ or FISH < 2.0) and achieve remission with current standard of care, but have no available HER2-targeted adjuvant treatment options to maintain their disease-free status.

About Galena Biopharma

Galena Biopharma, Inc. GALE +1.72% is a Portland, Oregon-based biopharmaceutical company commercializing and developing innovative, targeted oncology treatments that address major unmet medical needs to advance cancer care. For more information visitwww.galenabiopharma.com .

About Dr. Reddy's

Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd. RDY +0.39% is an integrated global pharmaceutical company, committed to providing affordable and innovative medicines for healthier lives. Through its three businesses - Pharmaceutical Services and Active Ingredients, Global Generics and Proprietary Products - Dr. Reddy's offers a portfolio of products and services including APIs, custom pharmaceutical services, generics, biosimilars and differentiated formulations. Major therapeutic focus is on gastro-intestinal, cardiovascular, diabetology, oncology, pain management and anti-infective. Major markets include India, USA, Russia-CIS and Europe apart from other select geographies within Emerging Markets. For more information, log on to: www.drreddys.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the planned clinical trial of NeuVax in gastric cancer in India and the commercialization of NeuVax in India in both breast and gastric cancers. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those identified under "Risk Factors" in Galena's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012 and most recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC. Actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by these forward-looking statements. Galena does not undertake to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect a change in its views or events or circumstances that occur after the date of this press release

Source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/galena-biopharma-and-dr-reddys-announce-strategic-partnership-for-neuvaxtm-in-india-2014-01-14?reflink=MW_news_stmp

Biocon's breast cancer drug 'CANMAb' to hit markets next month

Biotechnology major Biocon will start selling breast cancer drug 'CANMAb', developed jointly with US-based Mylan, in the country from next month.

The company said the drug, which would be manufactured at its biologics facility in Bangalore, will be sold to the patients at a discount, Biocon Ltd said in a statement.

CANMAb will be available at about 25 per cent discount to the current list price of the reference product - Roche's Herceptin - in India, which is already significantly lower than its price in developed markets, it added.

Herceptin 440mg, is currently sold at Rs 75,000 in the country. Biocon's product would be available in 150 mg and 440 mg strengths, which costs Rs 57,500.

"In addition, CANMAb's 150 mg formulation, priced at Rs 19,500/vial, will allow extra savings to patients as they can buy smaller quantities as per their requirement," the company said.

The company would start selling the drug to patients around the first week of February 2014, it added. Around 1.5 lakh new patients are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in India, of which nearly 25 per cent cases are eligible for treatment with CANMAb.

Commenting on the launch, Biocon Ltd CMD Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw said: "Biocon intends to make a significant difference in the treatment paradigm for HER2-positive breast cancer in India by enhancing access to more affordable treatment with CANMAb (biosimilar trastuzumab), which offers the same level of safety and efficacy as the reference product."

CANMAb, which has been developed jointly by Biocon and Mylan under a global partnership, is the world's first biosimilar version of Roche's Herceptin drug.

"Both 150 and 440 mg formulations of CANMAb can be stored for one month which is an important offering for patients in India, as it will ensure that there is no under-dosing or wastage of drug which is quite common today," the company said.

The global sales for Herceptin stood at $ 6.4 billion in 2012, while in India it recorded sales of $ 21 million. 

Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/29006054.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approves Rs.4,697 cr to strengthen tertiary care for cancer

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved a scheme to strengthen the tertiary care cancer facilities at a cost of Rs.4,697 crore. The central government will help the state and union territory governments in setting up State Cancer Institutes’ (SCIs) and Tertiary Care Cancer Centres (TCCC).

The plan will help in increasing oncology-related facilities in underserved areas and augmenting of bed capacities for in-patient treatment. It is only with such dedicated and concerted efforts that India can battle the terror of cancer. The government has taken the right steps to enhance the state of cancer care in India, Dr Kshitish Chandra Mishra, radiotherapy, High – Tech Medical College and Hospital, Bhubaneshwar told Pharmabiz in an email interaction.

Access to cancer detection technologies like quality pathology labs, imaging equipment, especially PET/CTs that can detect cancer at least five years earlier than any other technology needs to be improved. India requires at least 500 PET/CTs to manage the present cancer incidence and 1,000 units by 2020. Another issue is the high treatment costs making it  out of reach. Further, a skewed doctor-to-patient ratio only worsens the situation. The Union ministry for health and family welfare is working to achieve the doctor-patient ratio of 1:1000 by 2021, which at present is around 1:2000, he added.

A key issue with rising cancer incidence is the need to implement the preventive measures, map disease changes over time by cancer type, relative to the population at risk is a technical challenge, said Dr Mishra.

Further, different cancer forms with distinct causes requires different treatment approaches. Some factors that posed challenges to develop anti-cancer therapies include the inherent biological complexity of the disease.  In addition, there are roadblocks to translational medicine. The challenges of early detection also surmount to the problems of drug approval process and access to human subjects with suitable tumour tissue for research, he said.

In India, cancer occurrence is 2.5 million annually with one million new cases. It is one of the leading causes of fatality with a chance of the disease rising five-fold by 2025. However, there is a high probability to treat if detected early in Stage I or Stage II.

Quoting the Boston Consulting Group study, Dr Mishra said 70-80 per cent patients are diagnosed late when treatment is less efficient and 60 per cent of them do not have access to quality cancer treatment. Out of over 300 cancer centres in India, 40 per cent are inadequately equipped with advanced equipment. India will need at least 600 additional cancer care centres to meet the requirements by 2020.

Latest developments in treatment are targeted therapy with 50 drugs for various cancers. These include trastuzumab for breast cancer, imatinib for chronic myelogenous leukaemia, sunitinib and everolimus for advanced kidney cancer. Cancer vaccines are another breakthrough in prevention and treatment with the potential to treat cancers of prostate non-small cell lung,  pancreatic, ovarian, melanoma, and multiple myeloma and cervix. In radiation therapy, minimizing doses delivered to nearby healthy tissue via  3D Conformal Radiation, stereotactic radiosurgery and brachytherapy and  CyberKnife are available. Conservation surgery for breast and cosmetic reconstructive surgery for oral cancer is gaining momentum. Combination chemotherapy has become a standard for treating many cancers because it has shown to increase survival and remission rates, stated Dr Mishra.

Source: http://www.pharmabiz.com/NewsDetails.aspx?aid=79590&sid=1

AIIMS to Open Tobacco Cessation Clinic

All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar  is set to start a Tobacco Cessation Clinic soon to help people to overcome the deadly addiction, that is the single largest cause of cancer and other serious ailments.

The specialised centre would function under the Oncology wing of the premier health institution with the objective of providing the support and therapeutic interventions to not only kick the habit but also manage the de-addiction phases. 

It would complement the cancer screening programme launched by the hospital which is proposed to be expanded to a population-based cancer registry (PBCR), the first project of its kind in Odisha.

Tobacco is the cause of more than 40 per cent of all cancers in the country. Over 60 per cent of oral cancers and as high as 80 per cent of lung cancers can be prevented if people quit tobacco. The problem is more acute in Odisha as the State is a major user of tobacco both in smokeless and smoke form. More than 43 per cent of the population uses chewable tobacco in some form or the other while initiation to the addiction is as early as adolescent years.

“We have already institutionalised a system of inter-department referral for suspected cancer patients. Any suspicion for cancer is sent to the Oncology wing for further evaluation and diagnosis. This is helping the hospital-based cancer screening initiative undertaken by AIIMS,”  Head, Department of Radiation Oncology and Chairman Research Cell, Prof Dillip Kumar Parida said.

More than 1,300 people have already been screened under Cancer Education and Learning programme as well as inter OPD referral system. With the exception of existing cancer cases around 350 patients have been diagnosed and put in chemotherapy. Supporting care has been provided to around 150 cancer patients.

The institution has also launched Cancer Family Registry (CFR) for screening of high risk families under which around 25 such families have already been identified.

 They are being counselled on prevention as well as early recognition of key signs of cancer.

After excluding external risk factors like tobacco, such families will be key to identifying genes, if any responsible for the hereditary transmission of the disease. This will lead to early detection and greater chances of cure, Prof Parida said.

Source: http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/AIIMS-to-Open-Tobacco-Cessation-Clinic/2014/01/01/article1976531.ece

National Cancer Centre to be established in Punjab, says Prime Minister

Expressing concern over increase in cases of cancer, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said in Punjab the UPA government is setting up a 'National Cancer Centre' to fight the dreaded disease.

In his brief address in Punjabi, the Prime Minister said that the National Cancer Centre will be linked with zonal and regional cancer centres.

He was addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone of Rs. 450 crore 'Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre' in Punjab on the outskirts of Chandigarh in Mohali district of Punjab.

The Mullanpur cancer hospital would be developed and established by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) on the lines of Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai at a cost of Rs. 450 crore, with Prime Minister expressing hope that the project would be completed within next four years.

Dr Singh said the UPA Government was committed to provide world class and affordable health care facilities to combat dreaded diseases like cancer.

"The government wants to provide affordable healthcare to all sections of the society particularly the weaker section," he said.

The Prime Minister said that as many as 27 regional cancer centres have been set up in the country under the National Cancer Control programme of the government.

Besides, Oncology department had been opened up in Medical colleges and regional cancer centres are being set up.

The Prime Minister said that under the centre's National Rural Health Mission, emphasis is being laid on early detection of cancer and its treatment.

"Cancer is one of the prime reason for deaths in the world," Dr Singh said adding that around 13 per cent of deaths in the world take place due to cancer every year. Out of the total deaths taking place in a year due to cancer, 70 per cent are in the developing countries, the Prime Minister said.

"Eleven lakh new cases of cancer are reported every year, while 9 lakh people die of this disease in the country each year and the number is increasing," he said.

Among others present at the occasion today included Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

State Cancer centres are being set up with the help of state governments, the Prime Minister said adding that under this network state cancer institutions are being set up in government medical colleges at Amritsar and Hoshiarpur in Punjab.

He said that it may not be possible to completely eradicate this disease, but patients can be provided better facilities at affordable rates.

He thanked the Punjab Government for giving 50 acres of land in Mullanpur for this prestigious institute and also lauded the contribution of Congress MP from Anandpur Sahib, Ravneet Singh Bittu for the project.

The institute would provide the best health care and diagnostic facilities to the patients afflicted with cancer in the region.

Once completed, the Mullanpur institute would have 200 doctors, 500 nurses and other paramedical staff and would deal with 10,000 new cases each year while 40,000 old cases would be dealt with each year, the Prime Minister said.

The hospital will have modern facilities for treating cancer and 2,500 operations would be carried out each year.

He said that the institute would not only cater to the people of Punjab, which has witnessed increase in number of cancer cases, but patients from entire north India can take benefit once the hospital is completed.

Prime Minister Singh said that setting up of this cancer hospital in the vicinity of Chandigarh was appropriate since the Union Territory had better connectivity besides having top institute like PGIMER in the vicinity of Mullanpur, whose services can also availed by the patients seeking treatment at Mulanpur.

The Prime Minister also talked about Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research's (PGIMER) Satellite Centre, which is coming up at Ghabdan village, in Punjab's Sangrur district. Its foundation stone was laid by Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in October this year.

The Punjab Government had allocated 25 acres of land for setting up of the Sangrur institute, which will have 300 bedded teaching hospital in the first phase with outreach community health services programme in predominantly rural population.

Among others present on the occasion included Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Punjab's Anandpur Sahib MP Ravneet Singh Bittu, Punjab governor Shivraj V Patil, Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) Director Dr R A Badwe and Atmic Energy Secretary R K Sinha.

Source: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/national-cancer-centre-to-be-established-in-punjab-says-prime-minister-465072

Srinivasan Vijayakumar Named UMMC Cancer Institute Director

Srinivasan Vijayakumar Named UMMC Cancer Institute Director