GSK India to ally with two more Japan firms

Close on the heels of signing a co-promotion pact with the Japanese pharma major Eisai Pharma to market an anti-ulcer drug in India, Glaxo SmithKline Pharmaceuticals India (GSK India) is planning to sign up pacts with two more Japanese companies for similar arrangements in different therapeutic segments.

The new product licensing proposals are in the therapeutic segments of ICU-based cardiovascular therapy and diabetology.

A senior GSK India executive said the company was in talks with the Japanese companies and the marketing pacts were likely to be signed in the first quarter of 2006.

"We have already identified the brands and the alliance discussions are progressing with the companies in Japan. We hope, the products could be rolled out in the Indian market in the financial year 2006 itself ," he said. However, he declined to reveal the identity of the firms.

The company sources said it was in discussion with Eisai Pharma for licensing one more product for the Indian market. GSK India, following the earlier co-marketing alliance signed with Eisai, is currently marketing Paritec, a new generation anti-ulcer drug in India.

As part of its market expansion plan, the company has been exploring opportunities for licensing new products in line with its portfolio. In addition to the domestic market growth plan, the company is also exploring options such as brands and company acquisitions in the domestic as well as overseas markets.

GSK Pharma sources said it planned to enter into more in-licensing agreements and alliances for upgrading the technology in the manufacturing of new lifestyle products such as cardiovascular, central nervous system and diabetes.

The company's present market strategy is in line with the changing demographics, which has altered the earlier tropical nature of disease profile in India, and the current scenario towards lifestyle drugs in cardiovascular, psychiatry, neurology, gynecology, and diabetology segments more in line with the western countries.

GSK India has 6.5 per cent market share in the domestic pharma market at present, depicting an overall sales growth of 7.7 per cent. The sales growth in particularly pharma segment is 8.7 per cent.

Augmentin remains GSK's No.1 power brand and the other leading brands are Vozet and Cetzine. The company also now enjoys leadership position in vaccines and the therapeutic segments of dermatology, corticosteroids and thyroid.

The global parent "� Glaxo SmithKline Pharmaceuticals Plc (GSK Plc) "� had recently joined hands with the University of Oxford to initiate clinical research for new oncology products to be conducted in India.

The sources said more such projects are likely to come to India for other therapeutic areas in association few other global institutions.