Chewable gel to stop nicotine addiction soon in India

Chewable gel pastilles that reproduces the sensation of tobacco chewing to help smokers to kick-off the habit will soon be made available in India.

The chewable jelly cubes to be launched in India by the Mumbai-based Elder Pharma, would create the sensation of tobacco chewing while providing nicotine to addicts.

Elder Pharma plans to offer the nicotine pastilles in various flavors including that of mint and pan masala flavours.

The anti-smoking gel cubes will be launched in three strengths- 1mg, 2mg and 4 mg.

The gel cubes will remain around 30-40 minutes in the mouth providing nicotine to the addicts.

Since Elder Pharma does not have the technology to make gels, the company has entered into a manufacturing agreement with Gelnova Laboratories to manufacture the product.

The anti-tobacco products market in India is currently estimated at around Rs 720 crore.

Of this around Rs 200 crore is from prescriptions, and the rest is sold over-the-counter (OTC).

Sun Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, Cipla and GSK markets anti-nicotine transdermal patches, chewing gums, inhalers, nasal sprays and lozenges in India at present.

Birla Veda a division of the Yash Birla Group has recently launched Quitobac, a herbal chewable pill to quit smoking and tobacco addiction in India.

Quitobac is a nicotine-free chewable herbal formulation for smokers.

The tablet contains ayurvedic herbs including yastimadhu, khadir, lavang, brahmi, shakapusphi, amlaki, ela and tulsi each in a standardised potent extract form.

Quitobac pill aims to suppress the craving for tobacco through an ingredient called eugenol which is present in Lavang.

Eugenol helps in the conversion of nicotine into cotinine, a metabolite of nicotine excreted through urine therefore allowing less nicotine to reach the receptors in the brain, according to Birla Veda a division of the Yash Birla Group, which has developed  Quitobac, Birla Veda said.

Recently, Elder has launched Ecozyme, a chewable, pill form of coenzyme Q(10) [CO Q10] in India.

Coenzyme Q(10) [CO Q10] nutraceutical helps build immunity and is effective in fighting cardiovascular diseases, neurogenerative diseases particularly Parkinsons & Alzheimer’s, migraine, hypertension and diabetes.

Currently, COQ10 products were available mostly as soft-gel capsules or as tablets.

CoQ10 levels will drop with age and to be low in patients with some chronic diseases such as heart conditions, muscular dystrophies, Parkinson’s disease, cancer, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS. Some prescription drugs may also lower CoQ10 levels.

Elder Pharmaceuticals Limited has come up with a Novel Drug Delivery System (NDDS) to become the first company in the world to launch this nutraceutical in a novel form.

The technology in developing the chewable form of COQ10 is a unique technology & Elder is in the process of filing for worldwide patents also.