Economic Times, 23rd September 2009. Ahmedabad

Anaesthetic drug in lozenge form by Troikaa Pharma

The Rs.105 Crore incremental drug discovery pharma entity – Troikaa Pharmaceuticals – has come up with novel drug Xynova Endo, an anaestetic, in lozenge format. The new drug delivery system makes it easy to be administered during endoscopy procedures in patients.

According to a company release, Xynova Endo is an intra-oral anaesthetic (painkiller), comprising a Lidocaine Lozenge mounted on a unique holder just like lollipop.  The holder allows the patient to roll the lozenge in the mouth.  It can be useful for anaesthetising a patient's oral cavity or mouth during endoscopic procedures.

According to Troikaa  Pharma managing director Ketan Patel: “The product is completely soluble, leaves no undissolved residue and provides a clear view for doctors to look into the mouth of the patients.  The most interesting part of the novel drug is that it has a pleasant taste, minimises irritation and does away with need to sedate.  In addition to this, doctors can save time, as the drug can also be administered by a paramedic.

Mr. Patel further said that oral consumption will be more convenient compared to the current practice of using anaesthetic spray.  Lidocain Lozenge is only sucked and must not be swallowed, broken or chewed. After consumption, it undergoes rapid degradation by enzymes within the gut or breaks down into inactive components in the liver.  The lozenge releases an anaesthetic agent along with a bio adhesive.  This makes the anaesthetic agent stick to the oral mucosa and numb it within 10 minutes.