CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow, one of the premier drug research institutions in the world and Aveta Biomics, USA, a leader in developing the next generation of botanical drugs based on its evolutionary biology platform, joined their hands and announced the exclusive licensing to Aveta Biomics of CDRI’s patented technology of Caviunin-based drug compositions for further clinical development and commercialization.
Worldwide, one in three women and one in five men over the age of 50 years will suffer an osteoporotic fracturei. In the US alone, an estimated 10 million people over the age of 50 years have osteoporosis and one in two women in the United States will sustain a fragility fracture in her lifetimeii. Over 43 million more people in the US have low bone mass, putting them at increased risk for osteoporosisiii. Globally, in 2019, there were 178 million new fractures and 455 million prevalent cases of consequences associated with a fractureiv. According to Indian Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ISBMR), India, 50 million Indian women suffer from osteoporosisv.
“Osteoporosis is a chronic condition requiring a life-long treatment. Approved treatment duration of currently available drugs ranges from 1 to 5 years (depending on the drug) due to waning efficacy and increasing risk of adverse events. Caviunin-based therapeutic has a huge potential to change the standard of care for osteoporosis. The potential benefit risk profile is expected to be second to none with desirable efficacy and safety for long-term use,” said Dr. Parag G. Mehta, CEO of Aveta Biomics, USA. “We are excited to bring these new drugs to the patients and pleased that we can benefit from deep scientific know-how of CDRI team.”
Dr. Ritu Trivedi’s group from the Endocrinology Division (CDRI) has shown that the Caviunin scaffold has a targeted action that prevents bone breakdown, stimulates new bone formation and reduces bone turnover markersvi.
This decade-long research at CDRI, provides an insight to develop the first-in-class drug that is likely to modulate the host microbiome. “This license is a testament to the calibre of our innovative science and demonstrates the value of strong research productivity of our world-class scientists. We joined hands with Aveta Biomics given their track record of obtaining four clinical INDs of their botanical drugs for several cancer indications from the US FDA. We expect, therefore, translation of CDRI’s research into real drugs for people living with bone-related conditions,” said Dr. Prof. Tapas Kumar Kundu, Director of CDRI.