Free Supply of DEC Tablets Initiated by Elsai's Indian Subsidiary

The Indian subsidiary of Japanese drugmaker Eisai Pharmaceuticals announced that it has started supplying its elephantiasis drug free of charge to the World Health Organization.

Eisai Pharmaceuticals revealed that it will be supplying Diethylcarbamazine Citrate (DEC) in 100mg strength and the tablets will be used for distribution in developing and emerging countries.

The tablets will be manufactured at a plant in Vishakapatnam with the first installment to be sent to Papua New Guinea, Kiribati, Tuvalu and Fiji where it is expected to benefit over 6.25 million from at-risk communities through mass drug administration programmes.

"Eisai is an active partner to the London Declaration, a global public-private partnership that aims to eliminate ten neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), including elephantiasis, by 2020. As part of its commitment to this global initiative, Eisai has agreed to supply 2.2 billion DEC tablets to WHO for use in national MDA programmes, free of cost", the company said in a statement.

Source: Medindia