January 15, 2009- With the news of 61 drugs worth US $ 80
billion going off patent at the US Patent and Trademark Office between 2011
and 2013, Indian pharmaceutical market is doing its homework for gaining
maximum opportunities from patent expiry of some blockbuster drugs. When a
patent expires, the manufacturer's monopoly over a
pharmaceutical
formulation gets over and affordable generic versions of the drug can
be made and sold. Prices too crash down in such a situation. Amar Lulla,
Managing Director, Cipla said to Hindustan Times, “A chunk of this $80
billion (Rs 3.6 lakh crore) market will come to India, but with competition
increasingly eroding margins, it waits to be seen what effect it would have
on bottomlines." Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said at a
meeting with heads of pharmaceutical companies, "With India's capacity
to manufacture drugs at competitive prices, there is big opportunity here.
The Government has already cleared the deck by streamlining and
strengthening of regulatory framework with international credence."
Some of the drugs whose patents will expire include Diovan, used for
treating blood pressure and heart disease; Seroquel and Zyprexa used for
schizopheria and bipolar disorder; and Singulair for asthma. News Source:
Yahoo
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