Lupin to launch cardiac drug to tap Rs 3,600-crore market

Mumbai-based drug major Lupin will launch a new generation cardio-vascular drug in India, aiming to tap the Rs 3,600-crore cardiac drug market.

Normally, the pulse rate of a high risk heart patient is above normal and this in turn increases the risk of a heart attack. The drug to be introduced by Lupin will help reduce the heart beat, thereby reducing the probability of a heart attack.

The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has given marketing approval for the drug, Ivabrad (Ivabradine) in 5mg and 7.5mg tablets.

“The drug will offer a new and innovative approach for the treatment of symptomatic stable angina in heart patients. We will price the drug in such a manner that it is affordable for Indian patients,” said Kamal K Sharma, managing director, Lupin.

India, which has over 60 million people suffering with heart diseases, has a cardiac drug market valued at Rs 3,600 crore, growing at a rate of 15 per cent every year.

Lupin is hoping to increase its current market share of 5.03 per cent (or revenue of Rs 175 crore) in this market. By 2010, over 100 million Indians are expected to be heart patients. The drug was originally developed by the France-based Servier Laboratories and was launched in February 2006 in the global markets. Lupin will launch the drug in India, with an exclusive arrangement with Servier.

In April last year, Lupin had sold the patent and intellectual property rights of its hypertension drug Perindopril to Servier for Rs 115.31 crore.