Himalaya Herbal Healthcare today announced the launch of Himplasia a new herbal product for treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) which is commonly known as enlarged prostate.

Addressing presspersons here, Mr. Philipe J Haydon, General Manager - Pharma Marketing, said Himplasia provides relief from both irritative and obstructive symptoms. It acts by inhibiting the enzyme five alpha reductase that is responsible for the conversion of testosterone and also possesses alpha-receptor blocking activity.

Mr. Haydon said there has not been reports of any kind of side effects on using this medicine. Himplasia will not be available over-the-counter, but will be available only against doctor's prescription, he added.

This ailment is known to affect approximately 25 percent of men aged 40 years or over and almost one in every men over 65 years of age.

Stating the current market size for BPH drugs is around Rs.60-crore, Mr. Haydon said. Himalaya plans to garner at least five percent market share in the next two to three months.

Priced at Rs.3 per tablet and is available in a strip of 30 tablets with the recommended dosage of two tablets a day. Himplasia has the combination of various herbs like Tribulus terrestris, Caesalpinia bonducella, Areca catechu, Asparagus racemosus and Crataeva nurvala.

Himalaya said Himplasia also improves the peak flow rate and significant reduction in prostatic weight.

Himplasia was first introduced in the foreign markets and later it was launched in the domestic market.