The Hindu Business Line : Lupin looking to strengthen paediatric product basket in US

Suprax is being promoted through paediatricians and Lupin is looking to build on its strengths through in-licensing products from other companies in the same segment.

Mumbai , Jan. 6

DRUG-maker Lupin Ltd is looking to strengthen its basket of branded paediatric products in the US. The estimated Rs 1,200-crore company is evaluating a couple of in-licensing opportunities in the segment, Lupin's Managing Director, Dr Kamal K. Sharma, told Business Line.

Lupin had launched paediatric antibiotic Suprax in the US in April 2004 and spent about $8 million on its promotion last year. He admitted that Suprax's initial performance had not met the company's expectation since the brand had been out of the market after Wyeth stopped promoting it in March 2003. Last year, Lupin had terminated its deal with Allergan Inc to market paediatric conjunctivitis drug Zymar.

Suprax is being promoted through paediatricians and Lupin is looking to build on its strengths through in-licensing products from other companies in the same segment. The US paediatric market is estimated at $8 billion.

New molecules: Meanwhile, an internal decision has also been taken on two promising molecules in the skin-related psoriasis and migraine segments, respectively. Both prospective medicines have entered the second phase of clinical trial, where it is tested on people suffering from the respective illness.

By December 2006, phase II should be completed and all going well, Lupin would look at licensing out the drug for further development, he indicated.

Recently, the company had raised $100 million in foreign currency convertible bonds and the money would go towards funding acquisitions.

In the last four months of 2005, Lupin had firmed up four global collaborations with Aspen, Ranbaxy, GlaxoSmithKline Philippines and DSM. But these deals would reflect in the company's performance only towards the second half of the next fiscal, he said. At present, the products were under registration in the respective global markets, he said.

With three of these deals being in the tuberculosis (TB) segment, he said that the TB drugs would continue to be a leading therapeutic group for the company. Anti-TB drugs account for about 28 per cent of the company's sales, he said.