The Hindu Business Line : Lupin unveils herbal products

Dr Kamal Sharma (left), MD, Lupin Ltd, with Mr Ajey Kumar, Vice-President of Lupin's Herbal Business, at the launch of the company's herbal products in Mumbai on Monday. — Paul Noronha

Mumbai , March 22

LUPIN Ltd on Monday announced its foray into the Indian herbal market.

The domestic herbal market, estimated at Rs 4,000 crore, has dominant players such as Dabur, Baidyanath and Himalaya.

With an initial portfolio of nine products, Lupin plans to gradually expand its coverage from ethical medicines or drugs sold only on the basis of a doctor's prescription to over-the-counter (OTC) medicines.

Dr Kamal Sharma, Managing Director of Lupin, said the company would first seek to consolidate its presence in the domestic ethical segment, following which it would look at the OTC and export markets. The Indian herbal market is equally divided between the ethical and OTC products.

The products are in therapeutic areas including diabetes, paediatrics, gastro-intestinal, pain management and gynaecology, and are priced at a premium, points out Mr Ajey Kumar, Vice-President in-charge of Lupin's herbal business.

The product profile includes GluDibit, a diabetes drug priced at Rs 67; HerboHep, a liver drug priced at Rs 67; RespiNova or a cough syrup for adults at Rs 37; and a similar syrup for children called RespiKids, priced at Rs 38.

ConstiVac, a bowel regulator, has been priced at Rs 57; UlsaTon, an anti-ulcerant, is priced at Rs 74; IQmem for memory is priced at Rs 64; PMensa medicines for relief from pre-menstrual syndrome are priced at Rs 54 and AptiKid, an appetite stimulant, is priced at Rs 57.

Officials said that the prices were for 100 mg/ml of the respective products.

Dr Sharma said the global herbal market is valued at $60 billion, and about 50 per cent of the market is in the European Union. On the stringent documentation that herbal products require in European markets, he said that the company "was not daunted to deal with these markets. About 47 per cent of our existing revenues come from advanced markets and we have a strong regulatory department."

Unwilling to divulge details on the investments made and the returns expected from the new business, he said that the company expected to corner 5 to 10 per cent of the market share in each category that it operated. He admitted that the company had forayed into herbals about 10 years ago, but that "was a wrong time to enter, the science had not matured enough then."

At present, companies are getting into documentation and standardisation of herbal products, globally there is an acceptance for these drugs since there are no side-effects and doctors are seen to be prescribing them more often, he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Kumar said that the products would be available across the country in a month's time.

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