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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