ESSIC 2025
Milan, 23-25 Oct
ESSIC 2016 Annual Meeting Platinum Sponsor
Sponsored symposium: Why all Polysaccharides are not Pentosan - Speaker: Vishal Jajodia
New Delhi, Four Points by Sheraton. Friday 18 November | 12.15 - 12.45
“Why all Polysaccharides are not Pentosan”
Pentosan Polysulfate Sodium is a complex polysaccharide, derived from Xylan of German Beechwood Origin. Xylan is present in abundance in nature & can be extracted from variety of sources, including corn, oats, barley, to hardwood sources like beech and eucalyptus. They are diverse in structure, the chemical modification defines the biological effect of the mother structure.
The key factors in processing polysaccharides from nature for human use are identification of the right source, proper extraction, followed by appropriate modification as necessary. Natural sources determine the backbone of the structure of the molecule. Substances like xylan, although present in all plant sources, have different side units and modifications depending on the plant. Any alteration / replacement or compromise in the plant source will cause a difference in the structure of the final active material, thus impacting the efficacy of the molecule.
An inferior product, which is not extracted from the right source by the right method, will adversely effect the interests and confidence of the patients. A product like pentosan takes nearly 6 months to show efficacy, the current patients suffering with this debilitating disease do not have any other drug alternate in the market, nor do they have any reliable safe drugs in the pipeline from pharmaceutical companies. Besides, the drug cannot be traced in the blood, further complicating regulatory controls to establish reliable efficacy of the molecule.
In such a scenario, it is our obligation and responsibility to protect the sanctity of the only medicine available for the suffering patients, and not only that, but also take forward the progress of this science from understanding, to enhancing the efficacy parameters, such that the stake holders can progress the disease solutions to improve the quality of life of such patients. With such challenges, we have successfully brought to market a very reliable, efficacious and credibility established generic, equivalent to the originator via rigorous scientific validation over a decade of work done at prestigious Mt Sinai School of Medicine, USA.