Glaxo Sews Up Ciprofloxacin Sale Pact With Cipla, Ranbaxy

Glaxo has signed a co-marketing agreement with Cipla and Ranbaxy for marketing ciprofloxacin, Ranbaxy's once-a-day formulation. This alliance brings together three pharma majors, discouraging more competition in this already competitive anti-infective segment.

Ranbaxy and Cipla will market the product under their individual brand names Cifran OD (Ranbaxy) and Ciplox OD (Cipla), while Glaxo will be launching it under the brand name C-OD.

Internationally, Ranbaxy has an agreement with Bayer, where it licensed its once-a-day daily formulation of ciprofloxacin, on a world-wide basis to Bayer, while retaining the rights to market the product in India and certain other markets.

As per the marketing agreement, Ranbaxy will manufacture ciprofloxacin at its facility at Paonta Sahib and supply the product to both Glaxo and Cipla. D S Brar, chief executive officer & managing director of Ranbaxy, said: "This move heralds a new era in the field of co-marketing wherein both Indian companies & MNC`s will work together to leverage their combined strength in marketing and distribution to ensure that the benefits of ciprofloxacin OD reach the maximum number of patients."