Country's largest pharmaceuticals company, Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd. on Monday announced that it has started the Phase-III clinical trials for its new home-grown developed anti-malaria drug in India, Bangladesh and Thailand.

In a disclosure to the Bombay Stock Exchange, the pharma company said that the drug is being developed as once a day therapy for 3 days, and will improve patients compliance, besides being safe and efficacious.

While speaking on this, Mr. Malvinder Mohan Singh, Chairman, MD and CEO, Ranbaxy said, "I am delighted that our anti-malaria drug is entering Phase-III trials. Our new anti-malaria drug, likely the first NCE from India, will benefit patients immensely and provide a more potent solution to developing nations where Malaria is endemic."

It can be recalled that the Gurgaon-based Indian company has now been acquired by Japanese firm, Daiichi Sankyo.

The company is supposed to complete the trial of the drug and apply for marketing authorization by the end of next year.

Apart from India, Bangladesh and Thailand, the drug maker plans to market the drug in Africa, Latin America and Asia Pacific.

According to World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 20 per cent of the world's population, mostly in the world's poorest countries, is at risk of contracting malaria.