The Hindu Business Line : Win-Medicare to focus on gynaecare products

THE UK Modi-promoted Win-Medicare is betting on products for treating gynaecological problems and will shortly launch Divigel, a hormone replacement gel in the Indian market.

The company has entered into a licensing agreement with Orion Pharma of Finland, and the product is likely to be available in India by the middle of the year.

According to Mr Surjit S. Aurora, Vice-President (Marketing and Sales), Win-Medicare, since tablets for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) have come under a cloud, the company has decided to launch the product in the gel format. International studies indicate that one in every two women and one in every eight men require HRT after the age of 50.

Along with this, the company recently launched Norlevo, an emergency contraception pill, licensed from HRA Pharma, France. "This is a prescription pill and we expect it to account for 3 per cent of our sales this year. The company is targeting a total turnover of Rs 130 crore this calendar year," Mr Aurora said. It also has products to improve progesterone insufficiency and improve fertility.

In India, the total monthly market for hormones is said to be about Rs 413 crore, a figure that was estimated for the month of January and is growing at about 4.3 per cent. The ORG-IMS Retail audit indicates that progesterone combinations for pregnancy stabilisation have the largest share, with sales of Rs 168 crore, followed by infertility products accounting for Rs 76 crore.

However, Win-Medicare's biggest seller continues to be Betadine, a range of antiseptics. "While Reckitt Benckiser's Dettol and Johnson & Johnson's Savlon dominate the market in the over-the-counter (OTC) segment, Betadine leads in the hospital sector. Even Betadine Gargle is ahead of Listerine, but it is a prescription medication," Mr Aurora said.

The company does not see itself foraying into the OTC segment for antiseptics.

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