The patent provides Venus Remedies, an exclusivity period for its novel antibiotic product, Potentox up to 2025. Granted by the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI), the patent protects the composition of Potentox. The drug is also protected by a number of other patents from various other countries, including USA, India, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, South Africa, Canada and Ukraine.

Potentox is an antibiotic adjuvant entity (AAE), a drug effective in case of hospital-acquired pneumonia and febrile neutropenia infections, primarily caused by quinolones or aminoglycoside-resistant microbes.

Venus is upbeat about the response Potentox has received in the domestic and global markets. "The product is growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 50 per cent since the past three years. To take this novel antibiotic adjuvant entity to Mexico, the company is already holding talks with some big pharmaceutical companies there for strategic tie-ups. The common technical document (CTD) for Mexico is ready, and we will soon be filing it. But it will take us another two-three years to launch the product in this market," said Dheeraj Aggarwal, chief financial officer, Venus Remedies.

In Mexican intensive care units (ICUs), the overall cost of one single healthcare-associated infection episode is US $12,155. As per WHO statistics for Mexico, healthcare-associated infections are the third most common cause of death. Mexico spends about 70% of its health budget on extra costs incurred due to hospital-acquired infections. Clinical trials conducted for Potentox on more than 500 patients have indicated a drop in cost of therapy by 20-30% as compared to conventional therapies. Besides, studies conducted in hospitals across India have shown that Potentox is suitable for the treatment of infections caused by various resistant gram-negative pathogens in the ICU.

Terming such global recognitions for novel research products as a matter of pride for the research team at Venus, Dr Manu Chaudhary, joint managing director and director-research, Venus Medical Research Centre (VMRC), Venus Remedies, said, "It will motivate us to keep working hard to bring to the world our greatest research breakthroughs that would help in bridging the gaps in the field of emerging antimicrobial resistance."

The global hospital-acquired bacterial infections market was estimated to be worth US $9 billion in 2010. Potentox is designed to address the needs of almost 50 per cent of this market. The hospital-treated infections (HTI) market is projected to grow at a rate of 2.7 per cent annually in major economies.