Pharma majors eye diabetes market in India

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New Delhi, Nov 2: Even as pharma major Pfizer recently withdrew its inhaled product for diabetes, India with huge diabetes population seems to attract companies such as Novo Nordisk, Generex Biotechnology Corporation and Elly Lilly.

Drug makers feel that their “easy to use” versions of insulin would grab significant share in the Rs 400 crore insulin markets. Industry’s confidence seems to stem from the fact that the country houses over 41 million diabetics. The drug makers feel that non-injectible insulin products would be successful, as diabetics would prefer oral or inhaled drug to injections, which raise the risk of infection besides being painful, said an industry analyst.

Denmark-based Novo Nordisk is through with phase III clinical trials at several locations across the globe and is planning to introduce 'Aerx' soon, while the US-based Generex Biotechnology Corp has announced a partnership with Shreya Lifesciences to launch Oral-lyn by March 2008. “We are applying for regulatory approvals across the globe for Arex and are also utilising the time to ensure that there are no serious side effects. We already have genetically modified insulin in the market here,” an official from Novo Nordick told FE. Generex Biotechnology plan to import 2 million units of Oral-lyn every year and set up a manufacturing facility here at a later stage, president Nectid Inc (a contract research company) Ram Sesha said. The company provided assistance to Generex Biotechnology Corp to get regulatory approvals in India.

“We are aiming at 10% market share within one year of Oral-lyn launch,” Sesha said.