Ranbaxy to produce anti-AIDS drugs in India

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Ranbaxy to enter anti-AIDS segment

By Ramnath Subbu

MUMBAI, FEB. 22. Ranbaxy Laboratories, the country's largest

pharmaceuticals company in terms of sales, is to enter the anti-

AIDS drugs segment. The company is to launch Lamivudine, Nevirapine,

Abacavir and Indinavir products in the Indian market by end-March or

beginning-April, according to Mr. S. D. Kaul, Ranbaxy's regional

director for India and West Asia.

According to Mr. Kaul, ``Initially, we will only do test marketing of

the products. It is not just an anti-viral drugs package, but our

package will involve counselling and building up a rapport with the

patient.''

Ranbaxy's subsidiary, the Hyderabad-based Vorin Laboratories which is

a bulk drug manufacturer, will be making the drugs which will be

converted at Ranbaxy's unit at Dewas in Madhya Pradesh.

The AIDS drugs market is presently dominated by the Mumbai-based Cipla

and according to Mr. Kaul, ``Cipla is far ahead of us in this segment

and we have not looked at it from a competitive point of view. Our

plans are more in keeping with the vast opportunities the segment

offers. Our entry into this segment is more to develop the market

rather than grab a market share.''

In fact, Cipla has offered `Medicines sans Frontiers' (MSF) or

`Doctors without Borders' the AIDS therapy drugs for $350 per

patient per annum as against a normal cost of the AIDS cocktail of

$10,000-15,000 per patient per annum. In Africa, MSF has set up a

small pilot programme to develop models for broader approaches to

combat AIDS and will distribute the drugs sourced from Cipla free of

cost. MSF has about 40 AIDS projects all over the world with 20 being

located in Africa and is the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in

1999 for work in war-torn impoverished areas.

Cipla's combination includes two tablets of 40 mg of Stavudine, two

tablets of 150 mg of Lamivudine and two tablets of 200 mg of

nevirapine. Cipla had dropped the price of its triple cocktail to Rs.

6,780 per month from Rs. 11,400 that it was offering last March.``The

pricing of our package will be competitive keeping in mind the

socio-economic environment which is an important factor. The

criticality of the drugs goes a long way to alleviate the conditions.

We will certainly consider exporting the drugs at a later stage,''

said Mr. Kaul.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Amar Lulla, joint managing director, Cipla,

welcomed the decision of Ranbaxy to enter the anti-AIDS drugs market.

``It is very much needed in the country and we can do with a lot of

players.'' Cipla is in final stages of discussions with MSF officials

for the order and a final decision in this regard would be taken in

the next few days.

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http://www.the-hindu.com/stories/06230005.htm