Claris to debut in US with 100 drugs

Claris Life Sciences, one of the largest manufacturers of injectable drugs in India, is planning to foray into the US market with over 100 products within the next five years.

The company has filed for regulatory approvals for about 18 drugs and expects US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) nod soon for four drugs. The company has lined up filings of about 20-25 drugs every year from now onwards, said Sushil Handa, chairman and managing director, Claris Life Sciences.

"We are now eyeing the next level of growth and had invested over Rs 350 crore in creating manufacturing facilities in the last few years. Most of the off-patent products planned for the US have limited competition in that market," he said. Claris will launch its first product Ciprofloxacin, an anti-bacterial product, in the US market by the first quarter of the next year. Fluconazole, used to treat fungal infections and Ondasentron (in the treatment of diarrhea) in vial or bag form are some of the products planned by the company.

Claris, which sells its products in over 75 countries, will soon open a hundred per cent subsidiary in the US and plans to directly sell the products to hospitals. "Our injectable products are directly marketed to hospitals," said Handa.

Its anaesthesia drug Propofol is the market leader in India and has annual revenues of over Rs 60 crore. The company has developed a unique bag technology drug delivery platform, which is being used in many of the products of Claris.

Apart from the US market, Claris has over 40 drug registrations in the European market. The company also has set up subsidiaries in Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela and Columbia, which makes Claris one among the major Indian players in the Latin American region.

The company expects to close the current year with revenues of around Rs 600 crore against the Rs 400 crore posted during the last year.