Currently at the pre-clinical stage of development, the patented insulin eye drops are being investigated as a potential novel therapeutic approach to address unmet needs in ophthalmic care, the Mumbai-based company said.
As India’s pharmaceutical industry increasingly expands its focus beyond generics towards original research, intellectual property creation and novel drug development, advances such as these underscore the importance of building strong homegrown research capabilities, it stated.
Further pre-clinical and clinical research will be required to establish its safety, efficacy and potential clinical applications, it said.
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“This patent is not just a scientific achievement, but also a testament to India’s growing ability to create original pharmaceutical innovation,” Nikkhil K Masurkar, CEO of ENTOD Pharmaceuticals, said.
“Our research and development team has worked tirelessly to explore a therapeutic approach that could potentially open new avenues in ophthalmic treatment. We remain committed to pushing the boundaries of research from India, for India, for the Global South, and ultimately for the world,” he added.Dr B Vijaya Lakshmi, Associate Professor, Cornea, cataract and refractive surgery, Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital, Hyderabad, commenting on the scientific significance of continued research into novel ophthalmic therapies, said, “Insulin is familiar to most people as an essential treatment for diabetes, but its biological role has made it a subject of scientific interest far beyond blood sugar management.”
Exploring its potential through an eye drop is an innovative and fascinating direction for ophthalmic research. The ability to investigate an established biological molecule through a completely different route of delivery could potentially open new avenues for scientific understanding, she said.
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“While its safety and therapeutic value will need to be established through rigorous research and clinical studies, it is innovations such as these that encourage us to look beyond conventional approaches in the search for better solutions in eye care,” Lakshmi said.
