Zydus to invest Rs 100cr in new unit

Sees huge market in the US for ‘NuPatch’.

Keeping in view the rising demand for its transdermal patch 'NuPatch' in the overseas markets like the US, Zydus Cadila is setting up a new unit in its special economic zone (SEZ) near Ahmedabad.

The proposed unit, to come up at a cost of Rs 100 crore, will manufacture transdermal patches and various injectables, said sources privy to the development. In 2005, the company had launched NuPatch, the country’s first indigenously-manufactured diclofenac transdermal patch for pain relief. Currently, NuPatch is manufactured at the group’s dedicated transdermal facility at Moraiya in Ahmedabad.

“There a growing interest from the overseas markets for NuPatch, especially from countries like the US. Hence, a new unit will be set up by Zydus in its SEZ. This unit will also produce injectables,” sources said.

NuPatch contains 100 mg of diclofenac, a painkiller. Instead of the thrice-a-day dosage as in the case of the oral dosage form, NuPatch needs to be applied just once in a day and provides extended pain relief.

“The overseas market for transdermal patches is about $5 billion as compared to the Indian market ,which is pegged at around Rs 100 crore. However, there has been a concern overseas whether the drug delivered will be in the concerned proportion,” said Ranjit Kapadia, vice-president (institutional business), HDFC Securities. When contacted, a Zydus Cadila company official declined to comment on the issue.

According to estimates, there are over 100 million patients in India alone who suffer from various arthritic disorders like rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and other related conditions. Zydus Cadila, led by its chairman and managing director Pankaj Patel, posted a turnover of Rs 2,900 crore in 2009-09.

NuPatch’s novel drug delivery system through the transdermal delivery route offers several advantages. It addresses the two significant problems posed by the traditional oral dosage form - local gastric irritation and the need to consume two to three doses in a day.