New Anti-cholesterol Drug by DRL Set Up for Phase-II Clinical Trials

A new anti-cholesterol drug to be used in cardiovascular disorders, which is manufactured by Dr. Reddy's Laboratories (DRL) is set to enter Phase-II of clinical trials in May this year. Other two pharma majors, Roche and Merck are set to enter phase-III trials in developing a drug similar to the one developed by DRL. Officials at Dr. Reddy's Laboratories stated that it would take few years for the drug to come out successfully from Phase-II trials and enter Phase-III.

Company's chairman, K. Anji Reddy said, "This year in May we are going to take our drug (called DRF17822) into Phase-II. DRL will be the third company in the world in pursuing this target, which is known as the CETP (cholesterol ester transfer protein) inhibitor. This should change the way cardiovascular diseases are treated in future. And will prove that we are not copycats in any case and that we can also discover drugs."

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The drug will be used for the treatment of dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. The compound DRF17822 shows elevation in HDL-C (High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol) and reduction of atherosclerotic plaques. A CETP inhibitor is intended to reduce the risk of atherosclerosis (a cardiovascular disease) by improving blood lipid levels.

Source-Medindia

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