Company Watch

Double gain for Lupin

Our News Bureau - Mumbai

Lupin's subsidiary in Japan, Kyowa Pharmaceutical (Kyowa), has received approvals for 10 products from the Ministry of Health and Labour Welfare (MHLW), Japan, and expects to launch these in July 2008 post National Health Insurance (NHI) listing. Kyowa's expanded product basket will now include ten more products and these are amlodipine (CVS), risperidone (line extension; CNS), cabergoline (CNS), milnacipran (CNS), tandospirone (CNS), meloxicam (NSAID), fluticasone (line extension for paediatrics; anti-asthma), quazepam (line extension; CNS), ethyl icosapentate (line extension) and maprotiline (line extension; CNS). The combined market size of these molecules in Japan is JPY 265 billion ($2.65 billion) as per IMS 2007. Kyowa has a strong position in the CNS and CVS segment and through additional six products in the CNS category it is further consolidating its position as an indomitable player in this segment. Amlodipine is the largest molecule in Japan, with sales of over JPY 184 billion ($1.84 billion) as per IMS 2007. Kyowa plans to aggressively market this product through its trained medical field force. In order to garner a dominating market share in this segment the company has also out-licensed this product to two other generic partners in Japan. In case of risperidone, Kyowa is currently the second largest generic player and with the recent approval for the line extension the company expects to consolidate its position in this molecule. Speaking on the development, Vinod Dhawan, President-Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa and Latin America, Lupin, said, "We expect that these newly registered molecules will significantly add to Kyowa's growth over the next few years. It is our intention to leverage the advantage of an early entry in the progressive opening up of the generic pharma market of Japan. We intend to rapidly introduce an array of generic therapies from our global portfolio."

Apart form the approvals for 10 products from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Lupin also announced that its subsidiary, Lupin Pharmaceuticals Inc (LPI), has launched Suprax 400 mg tablets (Cefixime USP) in the US. It will also extend the use of Suprax to the patient population of children of the age of 12 years and above. "Suprax 400 mg tablets offer an additional value proposition to paediatricians by covering the adolescent and teenage patient population. We expect Suprax 400 mg tablets to add substantial value to the Suprax franchise," said Dr Kamal Sharma, Managing Director, Lupin. The Suprax brand basket now includes Suprax.