Dutch firm launches pain-free cancer treatment in India

Chandigarh, June 27 : Dutch pharmaceutical major Brema Pharma International Saturday launched photodynamic therapy, a pain-free technique for treating cancer with lasers and light sensitive drugs, saying it will invest 1 million euros ($1.4 million) in its Indian operations.

'We will invest 1 million euros in India to promote photodynamic therapy through awareness campaigns, road shows and by collaborating with premier medical institutions here,' Harrie Vink, the chairman of Brema Pharma, told reporters.

Presently this technique is used in every leading hospital of Europe and is recognised by all medical institutions, he added.

Brema Pharma has started its operations in a private skin hospital in Panchkula in Haryana, some 10 km from here.

It will first treat skin cancer patients and will cover all cancer patients in the coming months.

'This technique is practiced nowhere in India. Photodynamic therapy requires no cuts. It is pain-free and the recovery period is also very short,' Parminder Kaur, managing director of Brema Pharma (India and Netherlands), said.

The Chandigarh administration has shown interest in promoting the therapy in the region.

'We are ready to give every kind of help to encourage this technique in this region. I have told them to hold awareness and diagnosis camps at certain vulnerable areas of Chandigarh where skin problems are quite prevalent,' Chandigarh Health Secretary Ram Niwas said.

'After seeing the results and response we would also adopt this technique in government-run hospitals,' he added.

--IANS