Himalaya Drug Launches Liv.52 HB Herbal Drug

Mumbai: Bangalore-based, The Himalaya Drug Company, one of India's leading herbal health and personal care companies, has recently launched Liv.52 HB, the first herbal drug for the effective management of Hepatities B virus (HBV) infection. Liv.52 HB, an US patent pending phytopharmaceutical formulation, exerts antiviral activity and enhances the antioxidant defence system. The overall HBP infection treatment market size in India is Rs 216 crore and is growing at 21 percent per annum, as per ORG-IMS report (September 2011).
According to a report by the world Health Organizatin (WHO), more than 40 million (4 core) people in India suffer from HBV infection. Many others are at the risk of developing the disease. The current allopathic drugs available for the treatment include antivirals, interferons and immunoglobins. These drugs are know to have serious side effects, which include nephrotoxicity, neurovegetative sypmtoms and anaemia. Drug resistance is extremely common during or after the treatment. Also, the cost of a course of six month treatment for the condition is around Rs 10,000 - Rs 1 Lakh.
The efficacy rates of Liv.52 HB are comparable to that of the current available allopathic treatment and without any side effects, even after long-term administration. Further, the prodouct is an affordable therapy costing only Rs 4,680 for the six month treatment. Philipe Haydon, CEO pharmaceutical Division, The Himalaya Drug Company, said, "our flagship brand, Liv.52, is already widely prescribed for hepatitis A. We felt that we coould use this knowledge and understanding to explore a drug for HBP infection."
"The research for the HBP infection drug began 14 years ago. We screened over 100 herbs before finding the right composition to treat HBV infection." Our drug development process follows all allopathic protocols that are required to ensure safety and efficacy, as per the WHO guidelines," said Dr Pralhad Patki, Head-Medical Services & Clinical trials, The Himalaya Drug Company. The studies on Liv-50 HB have been published in antiviral Research and world journal of gastoenteroloy, Amongst others.