MAKING A POINT: King Carl XVI Gustaf (right) of Sweden and Bhaskar Iyer, Managing Director, AZPIL, at Astra Zeneca in Bangalore on Tuesday. — Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

Bangalore: A "candidate drug" for the treatment of Tuberculosis is in the process and this will be out by 2007, pharma major Astra Zeneca announced on Tuesday.

Lars Walan, Vice-President, Global Drug Development R&D, Molndal Sweden, told presspersons during the visit of Swedish Royal Technology mission, led by King Carl XVI Gustaf, to the company's facility here, that the molecule will be identified by 2010.

About three million people are dying of TB globally and every 15 seconds a person falls a prey to it.

The company aims at coming up with a compound that will simplify and shorten the duration of treatment to about two months. The drug will also be affordably priced.

The drug can also be used in those who are treated for AIDS since close to 50 per cent of HIV affected people die of tuberculosis, Astra Zeneca Pharma India Limited Managing Director Bhaskar Iyer said.

Therapies

The Bangalore Research Facility, instituted in 2003, will invent therapies, which will cure drug-resistant diseases. Astra Zeneca is the only pharmaceutical company with a research programme in India totally dedicated to TB, Mr. Walan said.

As part of its expansion plans in Bangalore a $ 12 million state-of-the-art R&D facility will be integrated into the existing facility by November 2006, Ulf Kruger, Associate Director/PR&D Project Manager AZ Sweden/India said. On his visit to Dhruva Interactive, India's premier gaming company, King Carl XVI Gustaf, as a part of the 2005 Royal Technology Mission (RTM) organised by The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, was enlightened on the comprehensive overview of gaming industry in India and its potential by Rajesh Rao, CEO, Dhruva Interactive.

Strengthen ties

Mr. Rajesh said that the visit will help strengthen ties and encouraging exchange of knowledge and ideas.

The purpose of the 2005 Royal Technology Mission visit to India is to seek an understanding of the opportunities and driving forces that attract many international companies and organisations to establish part of their operations in India, as well as learn about the Indian domestic market as a base for further expansion and export.

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