Prashant Jha

Founder

In trauma and emergency care, the time between injury and definitive medical treatment can determine out­comes. Severe external bleeding is particularly chal­lenging when an injured person is far from a hospital or when conventional pressure alone is insufficient.

Hemo­static dressings have consequently emerged as an import­ant area of medical innovation, particularly for pre-hospi­tal and field environments where rapid bleeding control is critical.

Within this space, Nahush Pharmaceuticals is developing an advanced hemostatic bandage designed around three practical priorities: rapid bleeding control, ease of application and affordability.

Founded in 2023, the Patna-based healthcare innovation venture is working to translate materials-science research into a field-deployable solution for trauma care, with potential applications spanning emergency response, defence, automobiles and high-risk industrial environments.

At the centre of the venture is Prashant Jha, Founder of Nahush Pharmaceuticals, whose journey from engineering and materials research to MedTech entrepreneurship began with an unexpected scientific observation.

After completing engineering at what is now NIT Raipur, he pursued a PhD in Materials Science in the United States, working across metal oxides, nanoparticles and polymers. An anomalous reaction during his doctoral research eventually led him to a modified form of chitosan—and a potential solution to a pressing healthcare problem.

From Material Discovery to a Life-Saving Application

Chitosan, a material derived from sources such as shrimp and prawn shells, has previously been explored for hemostatic applications. During his research, Prashant developed a modified molecule with greater polarity and improved solubility characteristics. While the discovery presented possibilities across multiple domains, including energy technologies, he saw its strongest immediate relevance in bleeding control.

The rationale was straightforward: an innovation capable of controlling severe bleeding before a patient reaches a hospital could have direct life-saving implications. Preliminary studies conducted in the U.S., including animal testing, produced encouraging results. After returning to India, Prashant began concentrating on transforming the laboratory discovery into a practical product.

The transition proved far more demanding than producing promising research results. Laboratory quantities measured in milligrams had to be translated into an industrially scalable process. Prashant spent approximately four to five years independently refining scale-up parameters, even renting a facility in Patna to continue experimentation.

Building Science into a Practical Bandage

Nahush Pharmaceuticals' approach combines material functionality with a deliberately simple product format. According to Prashant, the modified chitosan's increased polarity supports interaction with negatively charged platelet surfaces, helping create conditions conducive to the body's natural clotting process.

Yet chemistry alone does not make a viable medical product. Severe arterial bleeding also creates a mechanical challenge: a loose hemostatic agent can potentially be displaced by blood flow. Incorporating the material into a bandage provides the structural stability needed to keep it positioned over the wound while pressure is applied.

Usability has therefore remained central to development. The product is being designed for situations where specialised medical personnel may not be immediately available. Rather than requiring complex administration, the intention is to enable a responder to apply the bandage directly and maintain pressure for a few minutes.

Affordability is another priority. Scaling the manufacturing process is expected to help Nahush Pharmaceuticals position the product at a substantially lower cost than expensive imported alternatives, potentially making advanced bleeding-control solutions more accessible across India.

Navigating the Long Road from Laboratory to Validation

For an emerging MedTech venture, scientific discovery is only the beginning. Safety studies, efficacy testing, regulatory requirements, manufacturing readiness and clinical validation all stand between an invention and real-world deployment.

“Nahush Pharmaceuticals has progressed through this journey with support from government initiatives. Through ICMR's MedTech Mitra programme, the venture received guidance on required safety and effectiveness studies.

Testing at Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone (AMTZ), Visakhapatnam, included a large-animal femoral artery model, where the bandage demonstrated bleeding control within minutes. The venture is now progressing towards human clinical trials with support through another ICMR initiative”, speaks Prashant Jha, Founder.

The journey has also exposed structural challenges facing India's emerging medical-device innovators. Limited funding, lengthy testing processes and access to specialised research infrastructure can significantly extend development timelines. For Prashant, who currently operates Nahush Pharmaceuticals as a one-person venture, sustaining the project required building a conventional cotton bandage and gauze trading business to help finance continued R&D.

Creating an R&D-Led MedTech Platform

The immediate roadmap for Nahush Pharmaceuticals is centred on completing human trials, securing the necessary validations and approvals, and establishing a dedicated manufacturing facility with appropriate quality and regulatory systems. Once validation progresses, the company intends to build specialised manufacturing, regulatory and commercial teams while developing partnerships across healthcare, trauma response, defence and other high-risk environments.

Prashant's ambition, however, extends beyond a single hemostatic product. Once manufacturing and revenue streams are established, he plans to use the company's materials-science and characterization capabilities to pursue three to four additional medical applications.

The broader vision is to build Nahush Pharmaceuticals as an R&D-driven MedTech enterprise where engineering and medicine converge around practical healthcare problems. “By combining advanced materials research with simplicity, scalability and affordability, the company is working toward a future where critical bleeding-control technology is not confined to specialised settings, but is accessible wherever the first few minutes after an injury matter most”, signs off Prashant.