Telangana: CSIR-IICT Develops New Treatment For Diabetic Foot Ulcers, Transfers Technology For Clinical Trials
The company would work on the commercial development of the technology and its potential use in wound management: Dr Anslem de Souza, technical director, Viridis Biopharma
HYDERABAD: With diabetic foot ulcers often taking longer to heal and leading to infections and in severe cases, amputation, the CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT), Hyderabad, has developed an IND-ready phytopharmaceutical from Gymnema sylvestre for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers.
CSIR-IICT has now signed a technology transfer agreement with Viridis biopharma pvt. ltd. to take the formulation into the next stage of development and clinical trials. The technology may also have applications in other chronic wounds and inflammatory skin disorders.
Dr Anthony Addlagatta, chief scientist, CSIR-IICT, told Deccan Chronicle that around 20 per cent of people with diabetes develop foot ulcers, while there is currently no specific medicine available for treating the ulcers. “India is called the diabetes capital of the world. We developed this technology to address the need for treatment of diabetic foot ulcers. It has completed pre-clinical development and the company will now take it forward for clinical research with support from CSIR-IICT,” he said.
The technology was developed by researchers from the department of applied biology at CSIR-IICT under the leadership of Dr Addlagatta, with Dr Srigiridhar Kotamraju and Dr Aruna Jangam as key members of the team. The work was supported under the CSIR Phytopharmaceutical Mission Phase-III.
The research has gone through botanical standardisation, pharmacological evaluation, mechanism-of-action studies, analytical characterisation, pharmacokinetic studies, formulation development, GMP process development, stability evaluation and GLP-compliant safety studies. The technology has also received patent protection in India and other jurisdictions.
Dr Srinivasa Reddy, director, CSIR-IICT, said the technology transfer would help move the research from the laboratory towards clinical development.
“The development of this phytopharmaceutical formulation shows our work in evidence-based botanical drug discovery. We are continuing our partnership with Viridis biopharma to take the technology towards clinical development and regulatory pathways, including the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA),” he said.
Under the agreement, Viridis Biopharma will undertake the next phase of product development, including regulatory submissions to the central drugs standard control organisation and US FDA, with the aim of taking the product into clinical evaluation.
Dr Anslem de Souza, technical director, Viridis Biopharma, said the company would work on the commercial development of the technology and its potential use in wound management.
