AstraZeneca buys Eli Lilly trademark

AstraZeneca has announced the acquisition of Vancocin CP (Vancomycin) trademark for India and Nepal from Eli Lilly.

Vancocin CP, widely-considered the treatment of choice for resistant bugs called MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus), ideally complements AstraZeneca's flagship brand Meronem, the broad spectrum antibiotic with proven efficacy against ESBL (extended spectrum beta-lactamase) producers.

According to Bhasker Iyer, managing director, AstraZeneca Pharma India, "AstraZeneca already has a strong presence in the intensive care unit (ICU) set up with Meronem. Vancocin CP, with its strong brand equity and leadership in the Indian market, is a perfect fit and will enhance and further strengthen our existing portfolio."

An increasing incidence in ESBL and MRSA bugs in the ICU setting are challenging clinicians. These bugs can only be destroyed using special antibiotics reserved for serious infections. Unfortunately, these bugs are not easily detectable in routine laboratory tests leading to failure of treatments and deaths, he added.

Meronem, AstraZeneca's global research brand, belongs to the carbapenem group of antibiotics with a dominant 52 per cent share, in a market with over 16 brands. Launched in 2002, Meronem is used in ICUs across India for managing serious infections such as pneumonia, sepsis, meningitis.

Eli Lilly India has been promoting Vancocin CP since 1994 and commands a 54 per cent market share. AstraZeneca's augmented portfolio now offer clinicians a valuable synergistic combination to effectively manage patients with serious infections that are difficult to detect and treat, said Iyer.

Vinod Mattoo, medical director, Eli Lilly India said, "This is a conscious decision as part of our global strategy, to divest from products that do not fit our key therapeutic areas, Vancocin CP is one such product. We will however continue to focus on our other key therapy areas like diabetes, oncology, cardiovascular and endocrine disorders in India."