A startup incubated at BioValley, a comprehensive entrepreneur incubation hub catering to convergence technologies in the fields of Medtech, Nutratech and Biotech, has developed nutrition supplements for cancer patients.
The products are made from natural vegetables with no side effects and can be consumed in powder form. “After successful clinical trials, we have gone for commercial launch of two products, giving a big relief to the patients during and after chemotherapy,” Raktim Chattopadhyay, founder and CEO of Esperer Onco Nutrition, the startup, told The Hindu .
According to Mr. Chatopadhyay, the cost of the supplements required by a patient is around ₹10,000 to ₹16,000 per month. If the consumption goes up or cross subsidy is extended by the government, the cost could be brought down significantly in future, he said.
The supplements were diabetic-friendly. It is lactose intolerant and can be swallowed through Royal tubes. At present, the startup is working on 23 formulations in the field of oncology care.
BioValley is located in the AP MedTech Zone.
Esperer Onco Nutrition is a clinical nutrition company born out of an idea to develop nutritional products which have better affinity to Indian guts and better clinical outcomes. Most of the nutraceuticals in India are either imported or else international formulas are copied by Indian operators. What remains unanswered is the bioavailability or affinity to Indian gut for optimal health outcome, BioValley CEO Amit Srivastava said.
The startup which was formed by pooling up ₹2 crore through seed capital opted for incubation in the city to study the Indian gut sensitivities with respect to different stages of cancer and also studied the nutritional elements role in different type of cancer taking advantage of infrastructure available at BioValley.
The startup’s nutraceutical products are aimed at tackling cachexia and adjuvants to assist in reduction of chemo load. Mr. Chattopadhyay is in jubilation as they have struck the right mix of formula and launched three products after clinical observatory studies. He said they have plans to develop more products and become a ₹100 crore company in the next three years.
The products have been tried by nearly 1,000 patients and the response is quite encouraging, he said. Some corporate hospitals, including Apollo and Fortis, have evinced interest for a tie-up to procure the products directly from the startup. The products are also being evaluated by National Health Scheme (NHS) in UK as the startup plans for foraying into overseas market.
