The Hindu Business Line : Ranbaxy's Pepfiz ads resurface

IN a style that is reminiscent of the Colas, Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd (RLL) has resumed airing the commercial for its over-the-counter (OTC) antacid product Pepfiz.

Ranbaxy's commercials had gone off air briefly, when Dabur India Ltd had filed a petition in the Delhi High Court in February 2003 seeking an interim injunction against Ranbaxy's Pepfiz commercials.

Dabur's petition sought an interim injunction on Ranbaxy's commercials aired in January 2003, on the grounds that Ranbaxy's Pepfiz advertisements disparaged Dabur's products — Pudin Hara and Hajmola.

But with the court not taking any decision on the interim injunction plea and scheduling the next hearing in August, for further arguments to be heard, Ranbaxy's Pepfiz commercials have re-surfaced, industry sources told Business Line.

Ranbaxy's commercial shows a father complaining of gas, heartburn and heaviness in the stomach and at each stage his children offer him reprieves in the form of products, that according to Dabur, resemble its Pudin Hara and Hajmola. But even as the children offer different products for different stomach related problems, the protagonist's wife offers her husband Pepfiz as a one-stop solution to his three ailments.

Dabur's contention is that the Ranbaxy commercial seeks to project that its Pepfiz was superior to Dabur's products in the same category. According to Dabur, between Pudin Hara and Hajmola about 90 per cent of the market for indigestion, gas and acidity is cornered. Further, the company's petition points out that the two products are not comparable, since Pudin Hara and Hajmola are ayurvedic products, while Pepfiz is allopathic.

In its reply, Ranbaxy said that it had not sought to denigrate Dabur's products. Pepfiz, the company said, is a "unique effervescent tablet" that provides relief from heartburn, gas and heaviness in the stomach. Further, it pointed out, that comparative analysis was a common trade practice, a case point being Pepsi vs Coke or Rin vs Ariel.

According to industry representatives, the gas and acidity market is an estimated Rs 120 crore market in the country and seasoned players in this segment include Digene, Gelusil and Eno.

Ranbaxy had launched its Fast Moving Consumer Goods Company, Ranbaxy Global Consumer Healthcare in September last 2002, with four OTC products - Revital, Garlic Pearls, Pepfiz and Gesdyp.

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