Ranbaxy launches cholesterol lowering drug in 4 EU states
Pharma major Ranbaxy has launched its generic version of cholesterol lowering drug Atorvastatin in Italy, Sweden and Netherlands having received approval from local regulatory authorities.
March 06, 2012 / 15:33 IST
Moneycontrol Bureau
Pharma major Ranbaxy has launched its generic version of cholesterol lowering drug Atorvastatin in Italy, Sweden, and Netherlands having received approval from local regulatory authorities.The company had launched Atorvastatin, a copy of Pfizer's Lipitor, in the US on November 30 and in Australia last month. "In accordance with its settlement agreement with Pfizer, Ranbaxy has introduced the product ahead of the applicable patent expiries. Pfizer's patent expires on May 8, 2012 and in the Netherlands and Sweden on May 6, 2012," the company owned by Japan's Daiichi Sankyo said on Tuesday.Rambaxy's arm Basics GmbH also launched its generic version of Pfizer's cholestrol lowering drug Sortis in Germany. Pfizer's patent for Sortis expires on May 7 in Germany.In Italy and Netherlands, Ranbaxy will promote the drug directly to retail pharmacies and wholesalers. In Sweden, the drug will be offered through the official pricing and reimbursement scheme covering generic medicines, to retail pharmacies, Ranbaxy said.Atorvastatin had sales of USD 377 million in Italy for year-ended Dec 2011, it said citing IMS data. The market size for the drug is USD 164.4 million in Netherlands and USD 55 million in Sweden, it added.Ranbaxy shares were trading up about 1% at Rs 422.05 on NSE in morning trade. Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
