Ranbaxy launched India’s first new drug, Synriam^TM, treating Plasmodium falciparum malaria in adults. The drug provides quick relief from most malaria-related symptoms, including fever, and has a high cure rate of over 95 %.

Just one tablet per day is required, for three days, instead of two to four tablets, twice daily, for three or more days with other medicines. The drug is independent of dietary restrictions for fatty foods or milk.

Ranbaxy developed Synriam as a fixed-dose combination of arterolane maleate and piperaquine phosphate, where arterolane is the new chemical entity (NCE) that was developed as an alternative to artemisinin. It is the first recently developed antimalarial not based on artemisinin, one of the most effective treatments for malaria, which has shown problems with resistance in recent years. Arterolane was discovered by a collaborative drug discovery project funded by the Medicines for Malaria Venture.
Since Synriam^TM has a synthetic source, unlike artemisinin-based drugs, production can be scaled up whenever required and a consistent supply can be maintained at a low cost.

The new drug, has been approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for marketing in India and conforms to the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) for using combination therapy in malaria. Ranbaxy is also working to make it available in African, Asian and South American markets where Malaria is rampant. Synriam^TM trials are ongoing for Plasmodium vivax malaria and a paediatric formulation.

• Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited (Ranbaxy), India