JB Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd (JB Pharma), one of the fastest-growing pharmaceutical companies in India, announced a substantial price decrease of approximately 50% for the critical heart failure drug “Azmarda”. 

Azmarda, which contains the patented molecule Saccubutril-Valsartan is indicated for Heart failure which ails 8 to 12 million people in the country. After the price reduction, Azmarda (Saccubutril-Valsartan), 50 mg will be available at INR 39.6 per tablet as compared to INR 78 per tablet.

Commenting on the move, Dilip Singh Rathore, President – Domestic Business, JB Pharma, said, “Being a leading player in the cardiac segment, JB has decided to take the lead in making their Azmarda drug more accessible and affordable for heart failure patients in India. This is in line with our strategy of providing innovative and quality treatment to a larger patient pool at the most affordable price points. With this move, the overall monthly treatment cost will reduce significantly from INR 4500 to INR 2200. The HF drug also helps in reducing hospitalization cost by around INR 1,00,000 at the minimum.”

He further added, “Heart Failure is a devastating condition and it’s important to also increase awareness about the condition. Thus, JB will also institute over 300+ ‘Heart failure’ clinics across the country so that patients are able to detect the condition early and make informed health decisions.”

It is estimated that 8 – 12 million people in the country suffer from heart failure (HF) as a condition. It often remains undiagnosed, and patients become aware of it mostly at the end-stage. Approximately 80-90% of patients have Left Ventricular HF with a nearly even (50-50) split between HFrEF (Heart Failure Reduced Ejection Fraction) and HFpEF (Heart Failure Preserved Ejection Fraction).

As per IQVIA, MAT Sep 22 data Saccubutril- Valsartan is now an INR 500+ crores market with a 3-year CAGR of ~30%. The molecule is presently patented by Novartis AG, Switzerland and currently, four companies including Novartis are serving the Indian market. The molecule is expected to go off-patent in January 2023. Presently Azmarda is the third largest brand in the category capturing 17% market share with IQVIA MAT OCT '22 sales of INR 93.5 crores.  In April’ 22, JB Pharma acquired the Azmarda brand from Novartis AG, Switzerland for the India region for a consideration of INR 246 crores.