With the launch slated for November-December 1999, according to sources, the move comes close on the heals of the launch of D'Cold, a new brand in the cough and cold market.

The company is, however, tight-lipped about the launch. Company sources say that Reckitt Piramal has three-four products in the pipeline which it plans to roll out over the next two-three years.

Disprin is a well-known over-the-counter (OTCp) brand largely prescribed for the treatment of headaches. The equity of the brand is now being extended to the cough and cold market, which is dominated by multinationals like Procter & Gamble Hygiene & Health Care (P&G) and Johnson & Johnson (J&J).

The OTC market for cough and cold, say industry analysts, is not adequately represented in the marketresearch data. The prescription market also includes the OTC market. As per ORG's data on retail chemists, the cough and cold market is growing at 1.2 per cent per annum, say industry observers.

The leading brand in the market is P&G's Vicks Action 500 with a market share of 7.6 per cent in September 1999. The Coldarin umbrella of J&J, which includes Coldarin Plus and Coldarin Cough & Cold, has a total market share of 3.5 per cent, as per the data. The Vicks brand is said to be growing at 3.7 per cent on an annual basis.

Analysts, however, point out that since the OTC market is not well-represented, the variation in actual terms could be to the tune of 40 per cent towards the higher end.

Sales of both Vicks and Coldarin largely come from the OTC market. Companies thus rely heavily on advertising to promote these brands in a competitive market. Both Vicks Action 500 and Coldarin are priced at Rs 10 for a strip of 8 tablets.

While details on the pricing and advertising strategies on Disprin Cough & Fluare not known, sources say that the product will hit the market shortly. Reckitt Piramal is understood to be formulating an advertising strategy to launch the product with its ad agency McCann-Erickson, which works on the creative for the Disprin brand.

There are other brands for cough and cold which are strictly sold through the prescription route and do not compete with the OTC products directly. Glaxo's brand Actifed, which has a different combination, is one such product which commands a share of over 9 per cent, industry sources said.

Among recent entrants in the cough and cold market, Paras Pharmaceuticals with its brand D'Cold is believed to be a potential threat to existing players which are cooking up new promotional strategies to combat fresh competition.