R ARIVANANTHAM
CHENNAI, MARCH 18
Aiming to help Parkinson’s Disease patients, advanced third-generation D-mine apomorphine pumps and pens (injections) manufactured by German pharma major Ever Pharma was launched by Celera Neuro Sciences at the Academic Symposium on Advanced Parkinson’s Disease held at Westminster Hospital in Chennai on Thursday..
The state-of-the-art apomorphine-delivery devices, widely used in Europe, were unveiled by Professor Lt Col Arunachalam Ravikumar, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Medical & Health Sciences, SRM Institute of Science and Technology at the symposium on Parkinson’s.
- Professor Lt Col Arunachalam Ravikumar, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Medical & Health Sciences, SRM Institute of Science and Technology unveils two new devices at Westminster Hospital in Chennai on Thursday.
- Patients can call the 24-hour helpline number 044-46276262 for any query regarding apomorphine therapy
The third-generation D-mine apomorphine pumps, widely used in Europe, can be self-handled by patients in five easy steps, with much less patient training needed.
The pump-filling process is controlled electronically, with much higher safety and convenience, compared to pumps which are operated manually, with cumbersome procedures. D-mine pumps are pre-filled and offer a continuous infusion of apomorphine, leading to absorption within five minutes. The oral pill burden of patients also comes down substantially.
Speaking with navjeevanexpress.com, Dr Babu Narayanan, Medical Director, Celera Neuro Sciences said, “This is for the first time in India that advanced European apomorphine devices are available for Parkinson’s patients, who till now had only two options for treatment: oral pills for early stages of the disease, or Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery for advanced stages which is expensive and not recommended for patients above 70 years. The D-mine pumps and pens fill this gap and offer an important medical option in the management of Parkinson’s. They ensure much better outcomes for patients who haven’t achieved optimum benefits with available drugs or are suffering from side-effects of oral medications.”
Reply to a query, Dr Babu Narayanan said, “The cost of the advanced D-mine apomorphine pumps and pens (injections) in lieu of the conventional DBS will be around Rs 12,000 to Rs. 15,000 for Pens (injections) and between Rs 30,000 and Rs. 40,000 for D-mine apomorphine pumps. The cost of the product may reduce in due course of time. It can be much lesser, if it is produced in India under the Atmanirbhar Bharat (Make In India).”
Dr Vinod Metta, Director – Movement Disorders & Parkinson’s Centre of Excellence at King’s College Hospital, London said, “Apomorphine therapy gives relief during off periods when medication, namely levodopa, is not working optimally. As a result, patients start having symptoms like tremors, rigidity and anxiety. Several studies show 50% daily off time in patients. Apomorphine therapy delivered through a continuous-infusion pump reduces requirement of levodopa and eliminates or substantially reduces the need for oral medication. Motor fluctuations also disappear in patients with apomorphine therapy.”
Dr Arun Kulanthaivelu, President, Westminster Hospitals, Chennai said, “The current pumps available in India are not patient-friendly and lack reliability. Patients need to refill them after breaking ampules of apomorphine, which is difficult to do with trembling hands.”
India is home to about 5,80,000 Parkinson’s patients, a figure expected to double by 2030. Most studies on the disease in India show a prevalence of about 120 cases per 100,000 population.
Patients can call the 24-hour helpline number 044-46276262 for any query regarding apomorphine therapy, said a release from Westminster Hospital.
