The Hindu Business Line : Ranbaxy's Japanese unit launches antibiotic drugs

Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd (RLL) on Monday announced that Nihon Pharmaceutical Industry Ltd (NPI), a joint venture between RLL and Nippon Chemiphar Ltd (NC), has successfully launched Clarithromycin 50mg, 200mg tablets and Terbinafine 125mg tablets in Japan.

Clarithromycin is an antibiotic and Terbinafine, an anti fungal with a market size of around $400 million and $300 million respectively, in Japan, for the above dosage forms. The products will be sold in Japan under the Ranbaxy/Nihon Pharmaceutical Industry Ltd label and will be marketed and actively promoted to doctors in hospitals as well as in clinics jointly by the field forces of NC and NPI.

Commenting on the launch, Mr Malvinder Mohan Singh, CEO and Managing Director, RLL, said, "It is our earnest 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."

Mr Atul Sobti, President, Asia, API Sales and Purchasing and Global Consumer Healthcare, RLL, said, "Following the successful launch of Vogseal for diabetes, we have now introduced Clarithromycin and Terbinafine and expect an encouraging response. The joint venture, NPI, reflects our strong relationship as well as strategic techno commercial partnership between Ranbaxy and Nippon Chemiphar. "