Bangalore: A drug for treating head and neck cancer is expected to be released by the end of the year, according to Biocon Chairman and Managing Director Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw.

She told presspersons here on Monday that BIOMAb EGFR, a monoclonal antibody for the treatment of solid tumours of epithelial origin, such as head and neck cancer, had gone through the required clinical development process.

The drug is at the stage of approval by regulators and data is being compiled and will be filed before approval is given, she said.

According to Biocon officials, the drug will target and block the epidermal growth factor receptor responsible for the proliferation of cancer cells.

"BIOMAb EGFR will spearhead Biocon Pharmaceuticals' foray into proprietary products for cancer therapy," a company official said.

"It is estimated that the incidence of new cancer cases in India is about 7,00,000 annually, of which nearly 2,30,000 are tobacco-related and occur in the head and neck region," a company official said.

Monoclonal antibodies are the fastest growing segment, especially in oncology and auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and lupus.

The current global market size for monoclonal antibodies is $15 billion, and this is expected to double by 2010.

Earlier, Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram inaugurated Biocon Biopharma- ceuticals, the company's multi-product biologics facilityon the outskirts of Bangalore.

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