PUDUCHERRY: India would be second country after USA to indigenously develop the anticoagulation Bioprosthetic valve (BPV) for heart, if the clinical trials are successfully completed giving hope to millions of people in the country to get a heart valve at half the cost, said renowned Cardio thorasic surgeon Dr K M Cherian of Frontier Life Line and Dr K M Cherian Heart Foundation , Chennai.
The BPV is being developed at the basis medical institute of research Dr. K. M. Cherian Heart Foundation & the Frontier Lifeline near the Andhra Pradesh –Tamilnadu border and is in stage III of Clinical trial, said Dr Cherian in an interaction with newsmen here today.
The BPV has the advantages that not only it is durable, but also anti coagulation drugs are not required which has to be given in case of replacement of a damaged cardiac valve with a mechanical one.
He said that the BPV developed by USA costs around Rs 73,000 per valve which is not affordable by poor patients and if the indigenous one is cleared it would cost round Rs 30,000. It is being developed on a metal frame over which a bovine (Buffalo , pig) tissue is attached.
On an average 4 million people in the country are requirement of heart valve . The valve and tissue business in the world is expected to be around 8.5 to 12 billion US dollars by 20202, said Dr Cherian. If India could contribute atleast 1 percent of the demand by BPV , it would save the lives of not only Indians, but also people in SAARC and African countries , said Dr Cherian.