A breath of fresh air…

So, Oxycare was born. A small portable can, with one gram of compressed oxygen, it can last between four to seven minutes, depending upon how frequently it’s used. Priced at Rs 180 a can, the product is slowly getting recognition with physicians and consumers alike.

But launching the product was not as easy as using it. Says his son Deveesh Anand, 23, "We had initially tied up with Elder Pharmaceuticals to brand the product, but the whole operation fell flat. So we decided to get into it ourselves."

Going it alone meant setting up a manufacturing plant as well as an office from where the doctor and his two sons operate, in Chembur. "Getting the licence was the biggest problem of all. It took us nine months and tons of money," says Anand Sr. While he is not willing to talk figures when it comes to the amount of money that went into getting the product off the ground, he waxes eloquent about the birth of his baby. "Then came the process of getting the can right. We tried making it in many materials, but eventually the only thing that we ended up with, for a can that would be sturdy and leak-proof, was an imported consignment from Australia. So we tied up there, and therefore, the can," he adds.

This fancy black and white can, only slightly thicker than a deodarant can, however, can work wonders. Anand tells of an elderly lady who was carrying four of these on her Amarnath yatra. She passed out due to the high altitude, and was saved by Oxycare. "Had they waited for the doctors to come, it would have been too late. We never got to know who she was, but she did make it point to inform us," says Anand.

And pilgrimages to higher altitudes are just one of the places where Oxycare finds use. Doctors recommend it for all sorts of respiratory problems. Says Dr Suresh Oberoi, a practising physician, "I’ve recommended it to two of my patients with asthma. And they have gotten back to me with extremely positive results. The concept is almost a miracle in that sense. Especially if you are having a heart attack or afflicted with a sudden bout of asthma."

Although the product is not very well advertised, it is available at all retail outlets, and efforts are being made so that doctors become more aware of its existence. There are some, however, who are not. But even they endorse Oberoi’s view.

"I haven’t yet seen it, but if it is available outside of a hospital and allows for easy access and use, then it’s a good thing. Often, the difference of a minute or two can be crucial in deciding whether the person is going to live or die," says Dr Ravindra Kumar, a practising physician at Malad.

Sudha Sharma, a patient of chronic allergic asthma, swears by Oxycare. "I see a specialist who charges me Rs 1,000 a visit, but I find Oxycare better than the treatment he administered. A single puff of Oxycare is all I need, and my breathlessness subsides. I also use the Asthalin pump along with it," she says.

But at Rs 180 a can that lasts for all of four minutes, does it not work out expensive? "No. I don’t think so. People pay much more for indigestion medicines. And this is one thing that could make all the difference between life and death," says Oberoi. Adds Sudha Sharma, "Nothing is more expensive than life, is it?"