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Biotech / Medical : Pharma News Only (pfe,mrk,wla, sgp, ahp, bmy, lly) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Anthony Wong who wrote (17)	5/26/1998 9:50:00 AM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to 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.''