Zydus Cadila has introduced an NDDS product ‘Nudoxa’ for the treatment of various cancers. One of the critical drugs used in chemotherapy, Nudoxa heralds a new approach in cancer therapy.

With chemotherapy being a common mode of treatment in cancers, there has been a long standing need for a drug that is stable and long lasting with reduced toxicity and side effects. Nudoxa addresses this need. A patented product in India and South Africa, several countries globally.


Doxorubicin, the first generation drug, was launched in 1960s and gave a new lease of life to cancer patients with its ability to combat aggressive and malignant tumours. This DNA-interacting drug, however, was discovered to cause life-threatening side effects in the form of cardiac abnormalities.

An advancement on this therapy resulted in liposomal doxorubicin in which the molecules of the drug are encapsulated in a fatty coating known as liposomes. The liposomes allow the doxorubicin to be delivered specifically in greater amounts to the cancer cells, while having fewer side effects on the healthy tissues. A further advancement in this line of treatment was the Pegylated-liposomal doxorubicin, a unique form of liposomal doxorubicin in which the liposomes are coated with polyethylene glycol, leading to a much longer half-life in the blood. However Pegylated-liposomal doxorubicin are likely to cause ‘Hand-Foot Syndrome,’ characterized by skin eruptions on the palms of the hand or soles of the feet, leading to interruption in therapy. A new variant of liposomal doxorubicin, Nudoxa with its unique drug delivery system is a breakthrough in cancer therapy as it offers the benefits of Pegylated-liposomal doxorubicin without its major side effects like the Hand Foot syndrome. Marketed by Zydus Biogen, Nudoxa is manufactured by Zydus-BSV Pharma Pvt. Ltd., the joint venture company of Zydus Cadila and Bharat Serums and Vaccines Pvt. Ltd. Founded in 2005, Zydus-BSV Pharma focuses on targeted therapies in the area of Oncology.

Nudoxa is being used as a chemotherapy drug to treat various cancers, particularly, breast cancer - the second most common type of cancer, ovarian cancer - the fifthleading cause of cancer death in women, and AIDS-related Kaposi sarcoma which develops in people who are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).