Digestive Care’s Innovative Medicine for Cystic Fibrosis Finds New Markets
Dr. Tibor Sipos knows the value of niche marketing. Fifteen years ago he left his position as director of dental research at Johnson & Johnson to form Digestive Care, Inc. His goal: to develop a much-needed cystic fibrosis medicine – one the pharmaceutical giants wouldn’t touch because they deemed the market too small.
Sipos focused specifically on the digestive problems faced by cystic fibrosis sufferers. CF causes the body to produce abnormally thick mucus, leading to life-threatening lung infections. This mucus also obstructs the pancreas, preventing digestive enzymes from reaching the intestines and inhibiting the breakdown and absorption of food.
With the help of Ben Franklin Technology Partners throughout the 1990s, Sipos was able to overcome the high development cost and hurdles of bringing a new medicine to market. His development, PANCRECARB®, helps CF patients better digest fats. Today DCI provides relief to an estimated 30% of the CF market and employs 37 people.
“As the only bicarbonate buffered pancreatic enzyme on the market, the product is getting great exposure at international meetings,” Sipos says. “Distribution is being established in Argentina and Brazil and an agreement in Costa Rica is pending.”
Help for HIV Patients
Sipos, who holds more than 40 U.S. and foreign patents, recognized that CF sufferers were not the only people who could benefit from PANCRECARB. Indeed, it has proven to be effective in treating the digestive problems of HIV patients who undergo Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART).
“One-third of HIV patients undergoing HAART develop diarrhea because two of the drugs in the cocktail inhibit digestion and prevent fat from being properly digested,” Sipos says. “Studies show PANCRECARB helps relieve these complications, and in the process helps patients stabilize and gain needed weight.”
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