Pharmaceutical firm Lupin aims to launch a slew of drugs in the US market in the next four years from its pipeline of 110 products awaiting approval from the country’s health regulator.
“We have over 110 products pending approvals with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and would look to launch these in the next four years as and when we get approval,” Lupin President (Finance & Planning) and CFO S Ramesh told PTI.
The company had filed 25 abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) with the US FDA last fiscal thereby taking the total number of total filings to 176 so far.
“We have been amongst the top five filers in the US over the last 2—3 years and build what is considered one of the best generic pipelines for the US market,” Ramesh said.
Lupin is targeting a rate of over 20 per cent in the world’s most lucrative drug market.
“We don’t give guidance but if the past is prescriptive of the future, we would continue to clock in growth of 20—25 per cent,” Ramesh added.
The US market currently contributes over 35 per cent of Lupin’s global revenues. For the fiscal ended March 31, 2012, the company had posted net sales of Rs 6,959.70 crore.
The firm’s formulation sales in the US market stood at Rs 2,530.3 crore during 2011—12.
“We are now focussing on less competitive speciality spaces where we believe we can command better prices; segments like Oral Contraceptives (OC), Ophthalmology and Dermatology,” Ramesh said.
“This is a segment where it makes sense to have a complete basket of products — so that one can drive serious value into the market and Lupin would be one of the few innovators to drive it in,” Ramesh said.
“We are similarly targeting the Ophthalmology ($3 billion opportunity) and Dermatological ($5 billion) segments,” Ramesh added.
Shares of Lupin today closed at Rs 573.35 on the BSE, down 1.44 per cent from previous close.