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Biotech / Medical : Pharma News Only (pfe,mrk,wla, sgp, ahp, bmy, lly)
PFE 27.22+2.8%Feb 6 9:30 AM EST
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To: Anthony Wong who wrote (17)5/26/1998 9:50:00 AM
From: Anthony Wong  Read Replies (1) of 1722
 
An article from the Economic Times of India about the V clone:

Cipla's Viagra to hit India in 6
months
Sitaraman Shankar

MUMBAI 18 MAY
INDIAN pharmaceutical major Cipla says it may hit the local market with its
version of US giant Pfizer's anti-impotency blockbuster Viagra in six months.

Cipla is despatching to a South American destination its first exports of the bulk
drug which goes into Viagra, sildenafil citrate, as early as next week.

Cipla executive director Amar Lulla told The Economic Times that the
company had applied last month to the Drug Controller of India for approvals
for the local marketing of the product. He said that once individual registrations
were obtained from importer countries, Cipla would start exporting tablets of the
product.

Cipla's share price on the BSE over the past one month has gone from Rs 682
on April 1 to a high of Rs 877 in mid-April, and fell today to Rs 778.75 from the
May 15 close of Rs 799. Analysts expect it to firm up on news of the
Viagra-clone.

For local sales, the Drug Controller will decide on a testing schedule, but the
company says it is confident of early entry into the Indian market.

''We have been working on the drug for a few months,'' said Mr Lulla. ''It is
possible for technologically competent Indian companies to make this product. It
is no big deal.''

Industry sources say there are more than ten other Indian companies which are
working towards producing laboratory and larger quantitities of sildenafil citrate.

Orchid Chemicals, the Chennai-based company better known for its strengths in
cephalosporins, has confirmed that it has also applied to the Drug Controller for
approvals for the marketing of the drug. Orchid's share price went from Rs
90.15 to Rs 99.15 on the BSE today on the news.

As the detailed trials have already been carried out by Pfizer in the US, Indian
companies are likely to have to do only some clinical trials for local approval.

Analysts have difficulty estimating the size of the market for the drug, especially
in India. The US market is thought to cover 40 million individuals. The drug is
available in a 50 mg dosage, and sells at a dizzying $10 per tablet.

There is little indication as to the price Indian companies will sell at, though
analysts predict heavy short-term gains for them in international markets. Said an
industry watcher, ''for the local market, the companies will find a price of below
one-tenth (Rs 30-40 per pill) the US price is too low.''
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