Chandigarh: National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Mohali has enabled India to develop the required technology to produce raw materials for manufacturing nano crystal based medicines.

With this, India joins US and Ireland, and becomes the third country to have this technology, according to a report published in Times of India.

Nanocrystals are basically nanometer sized particles that can act more efficiently than conventional drugs. The disadvantage with the conventional drugs is that they are not easily soluble in water. In fact, around 60% of them are insoluble in water. Hence, when these drugs are taken into the body, most of them are excreted out as they do not get absorbed into blood.

NanoCrySP, the nano crystalline solid dispersions that can be produced using the NPER's technology will address the issue of non-solubility as these nano-crystals easily get dissolved and absorbed into the blood stream.

The nano-crystals occupy a lion's share of 60% in the $136 billion global market of nanotechnology medicines. With an intention to tap this market, NIPER has already got an Indian patent and has submitted applications for American and European patents.

NIPER has further entered into a licensing agreement with an Indian pharmaceutical company- Windlas Biotech limited, for scaling up and commercialization of the drug.