Novartis offers payment plan for high-cost heart medicine
Mumbai: In a first-of-its-kind pricing strategy in the pharmaceutical industry, Swiss drug major
Novartis
has introduced a financing scheme for its cholesterol lowering drug brand Sybrava (inclisiran) in India, as the company looks to expand the adoption of the new generation heart drug that has so far been restricted due to its high pricing.
Novartis has tied up with Indian payment technology company Pine Labs to offer a monthly instalment scheme for the twice-a-year treatment of the injectable drug used to reduce levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), commonly called bad cholesterol.
"We have recently launched a zero-interest EMI scheme with Pine Labs so that this treatment can be accessible to more patients," Amitabh Dube, country president & MD, Novartis India, said in an exclusive interview with ET.
Each instalment is priced at Rs 15,000-16,000. "The first is a loading dose and the second dose is after 90 days, and then after 180 days. It will be a rolling cycle," said Dube.
As per cardiologists, Novartis has come up with a one-on-one scheme where the second injection will be free on purchase of the first dose.
However, a patient has to pay full value of the first dosage through equated monthly instalment.
The drug was priced at Rs 1.2 lakh per injection when it was launched in January 2024. In the US, sold under brand Leqvio, it is priced at $3,373.4 per dose (about Rs 2.9 lakh).
More than 3,000 patients have currently been put on the drug in India.
To expand the reach for inclisiran, Novartis has also entered into marketing tie-ups with
Mankind Pharma
, JB Pharma and
Lupin
.
Mankind, which sells inclisiran under brand Crenzlo, is also evaluating possibilities in terms of patient assistance programmes that can make the drug more affordable to the eligible patients in India, said Atish Majumdar, senior president-sales and marketing. Lupin has launched the drug under Tilpazan, while JB Pharma's brand is Izirize.
Lupin and JB Pharma did not respond to ET's query until press time on Monday.
In the one year since April 2024, inclisiran recorded sales of Rs 7.7 crore among all three partners, according to data from PharmaTrac.
Inclisiran is not a replacement for statins, the most commonly used class of medications to lower cholesterol, but can be recommended as a line of treatment when statins do not work or if a person is statin intolerant. However, top cardiologists are divided over the widespread prescribing of the drug.
Some opine it is another addition to their armament of treatment. "It is a very important drug that has come into the market. It has the potential to be a very big game changer for blockages," said Dr Nihar Mehta, associate director, Department of Structural Heart Diseases, Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre.
However, others said its usage will be for a limited number of patients. Dr Ganesh Kumar AV, director of cardiology at LH Hiranandani Hospital Powai in Mumbai, said: "The medicine is good but it is being overused. With the right usage there are not many patients who need it. My usage of inclisiran has not been much over the last one year; maybe less than 10 out of the about 2,000 patients with coronary artery diseases I treated".
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
25 minutes ago
- News18
Job Alert! Apply For Young Professional Posts At MECL: Check Eligibility, Salary And More
Last Updated: MECL Young Professional Recruitment 2025: Apply online at the official website until June 12, 2025. MECL Young Professional Recruitment 2025: The Mineral Exploration & Consultancy Limited (MECL), a Mini-Ratna-I Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Mines, Government of India, has opened applications for Young Professional positions on a Fixed Term Engagement (FTE) contractual basis. Interested and eligible candidates can apply online through the official website of MECL at until June 12, 2025. Young Professional (Geology): 12 posts Young Professional (Geophysics): 07 posts Young Professional (IT/SAP-ERP): 01 post Young Professional (Civil Engineering): 01 post Young Professional (Electrical Engineering): 01 post Young Professional (Materials): 02 posts Young Professional (Business Development & Marketing): 01 post Young Professional (Finance & Accounts): 01 post Young Professional (Medical Doctor): 01 post Maximum Age (UR Category): 35 years Eligibility requirements, including educational qualifications and experience, differ by post. Candidates must hold degrees/diplomas from UGC-recognized institutions and technical/professional courses approved by AICTE or the Government of India. Degrees acquired through Open and Distance Learning (ODL) are valid, provided they meet the regulatory requirements. Applicants are advised to carefully read the official notification for post-specific details. Step 2: Go to 'Career" page and click on the link to apply for young professional Step 3: Register yourself by entering your name, email and mobile number Step 4: Now login using your login ID and password Step 6: Pay the application fee and submit the application form Step 7: Download the confirmation page and save it for future reference Candidates must register on the portal and upload scanned copies of a passport-sized photo and signature in JPG/JPEG format. SC/ST/OBC-NCL/EWS candidates must take care while selecting the category, as changes won't be permitted later. Candidates will be shortlisted based on academic performance, relevant experience, and expertise. Shortlisted applicants will undergo document verification and a personal interview, to be held in Nagpur. Young professionals will receive a consolidated remuneration of Rs 60,000. Candidates must note that these FTE Young Professional positions are purely temporary. MECL reserves the right to terminate the contract at any point without assigning any reason. First Published:
Time of India
32 minutes ago
- Time of India
IndiGo Long-haul Flights: IndiGo Expands Global Reach with 10 New International Destinations Including London and Copenhagen, ET TravelWorld
Advt IndiGo makes global leap: FY25 sees Rs 7,258 cr profit & leap into long-haul ops Beginning July 1, 2025, IndiGo will offer thrice-weekly direct flights between Mumbai and Manchester, becoming the only airline currently providing nonstop service on this route and also the only low-cost carrier in the country offering long-haul flight services. A day later, on July 2, the airline will launch another long-haul flight connecting Mumbai to Amsterdam, also operating three times a week. Both routes will be served by Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, leased from Norse Atlantic Airways, marking IndiGo's official entry into long-haul wide-body operations. See More Details Advt By , ETTravelWorld Join the community of 2M+ industry professionals Subscribe to our newsletter to get latest insights & analysis. Download ETTravelWorld App Get Realtime updates Save your favourite articles Scan to download App India's largest airline, IndiGo , is poised to deepen its global footprint with the launch of 10 new international destinations in FY26, including long-haul direct flights to London, Copenhagen, and Athens. This expansion marks a pivotal chapter in IndiGo's evolution from a dominant domestic carrier to a significant global aviation at a press event ahead of the IATA AGM 2025 to be hosted in Delhi next week, the expansion strategy aligns with IndiGo's larger ambition of transforming into a global airline by 2030. "FY25 has been a pivotal year in our journey. As India continues to rise as one of the fastest-growing aviation markets, IndiGo is firmly committed to contributing to this momentum," said Pieter Elbers , CEO, IndiGo.A key enabler of IndiGo's international push is its aggressive fleet expansion. With one new aircraft joining its fleet every week, the airline expects to surpass 600 aircraft by 2030. A major development includes the damp lease agreement with Norse Atlantic Airways for six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, scheduled to arrive by early 2026, complementing the anticipated arrival of A350s in long-range A321XLR aircraft—joining IndiGo's fleet in FY26—will further empower the airline to enter new medium-to-long haul markets, making destinations like Athens viable for direct connectivity from flights from India to London, Copenhagen, and and Amsterdam flights launching July of four new destinations and reactivation of Almaty and Tashkent routes from service to Siem Reap (Cambodia), increased capacity to Bali (Indonesia), Ho Chi Minh City, and Hanoi (Vietnam).These additions will bring IndiGo's international destinations to 51, solidifying its global strategy. The carrier will also grow its domestic network to 95 stations with upcoming operations at Adampur (Jalandhar) and Hindon (Ghaziabad), along with becoming the first airline to commence flights from the Navi Mumbai and Noida (Jewar) a major infrastructure development, IndiGo signed an MoU with Bangalore International Airport Ltd. (BIAL) for a 31-acre MRO (Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul) facility. Designed to support both narrow- and wide-body aircraft, the facility is expected to streamline maintenance, increase aircraft availability, and enhance operational continues to forge international partnerships as part of its global strategy. A reciprocal codeshare with Japan Airlines is underway, and additional alliances are in the the customer experience is evolving with the rollout of IndiGoStretch—its business-class equivalent. Currently operating on 140 daily flights within India, the product will debut internationally in June 2025, starting with Delhi/Mumbai to Bangkok, Singapore, Phuket, and Dubai.
Time of India
33 minutes ago
- Time of India
EV makers Tata, Mahindra seek to block hybrids in govt fleets, documents show
India's biggest automakers are seeking to block a pollution management body's attempts to promote hybrid vehicles in government fleets in and around New Delhi, saying it will disrupt adoption of cleaner battery electric cars and hit investments, documents show. Companies, including Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors , are lobbying the ministry of heavy industries to overturn an attempt to equate hybrids with EVs and ensure incentives for all government programmes are restricted to electric models, five company letters seen by Reuters show. In a May 2 advisory, the Commission for Air Quality Management, tasked with fixing severe air pollution levels in India's capital region, categorised strong hybrids as "cleaner vehicles" recommending their use in government fleets, a move that caught carmakers by surprise. Given the "ultra-high density" of vehicular traffic in New Delhi and nearby areas, there is a need to move away from "polluting vehicles, dependent purely on fossil fuels like diesel and petrol", the commission said. Automakers, however, argue that hybrids - which use a battery and combustion engine - are reliant on fossil fuels whereas EVs produce zero tailpipe emissions, making them an effective solution for the urban air pollution crisis. "Our plea is for government policy and incentives to stay firmly focused only on EVs," Mahindra said in its May 15 letter to the heavy industries ministry. Along with Tata and Mahindra, JSW MG Motor , Hyundai Motor and Kia Corp have also written to the ministry in support of electric cars, rekindling their face-off with hybrid proponents like Toyota Motor and Maruti Suzuki. Tata, Mahindra, JSW MG Motor, Hyundai , Kia Corp and the ministry of heavy industries did not respond to requests for comment. Policy uncertainty The potential opportunity is huge - of the 847,544 vehicles in use by government agencies across India in 2022, only 5,384 were EVs - less than 1%, official data showed. A major concern for EV makers is that support for hybrids dilutes the Indian government's own policy which incentivises only EVs in its production-linked schemes and other programmes. It will also create confusion among car buyers, companies and investors, hurting EV sales at a time when their growth is already slowing due to inadequate charging infrastructure and high upfront vehicle costs. "The lack of a consistent and predictable policy environment may deter long-term investors ... particularly in high-capex, technology-intensive sectors like EV," said Tata, which has raised $1 billion from private equity firm TPG for its EV push. Tata in its May 15 letter said, the commission's move will undermine current and proposed EV investments, impact India's global image as an investor friendly destination and send mixed signals to international stakeholders. Carmakers in India are expected to invest over $10 billion through 2030 to manufacture lithium-ion cells, EVs and batteries, ratings agency Moody's said in a report, adding EV adoption rates in India are still low versus China, Europe and the U.S. Mahindra's EV unit counts Singapore's Temasek and British International Investment among investors while Hyundai plans to invest over $500 million in EVs in India.
