Lupin arm Kyowa inks pact with Astellas Pharma to sell antidepressant drug

Dr Fabrice Egros, president - Asia Pacific & Japan, Lupin Limited, commented, “Following Kyowa’s recent acquisition of long-listed products from Shionogi & Co Ltd, the Astellas agreement reinforces Kyowa’s transition toward a hybrid pharmaceutical specialty care company and bolsters its leadership in the CNS space in Japan. Post regulatory approval for the product, we hope to bring to market a new solution for the treatment of depressive symptoms associated with bipolar disorder addressing unmet need for patients as well as provide additional treatment option for health care professionals in Japan.”

Over the years, Lupin has been increasing its presence in Japan, world’s second largest market for pharmaceuticals. It made a major inroads in the Japanese market when it acquired controlling stake in Kyowa Pharmaceutical, one of the top ten generic pharmaceutical companies in Japan, in October 2007. In August last year, Lupin bought 21 generic brands - covering therapeutic areas such as central nervous system (CNS), oncology, cardiovascular and anti-infectives - from Japan’s Shionogi & Co for $150 million.