Leading Japanese company Daiichi Sankyo, which has a majority stake in Ranbaxy Laboratories, on Monday announced that it was ready to launch some of Ranbaxy’s generic medicinal drugs in the Japanese market shortly.
“Currently there is a debate going on in Japan on how to reduce healthcare cost by increasing the generic share to 30 per cent. Soon we will be launching Ranbaxy’s generic drugs in the Japanese market. It is only a matter of time,” Daiichi Sankyo Senior Executive Officer, Global Corporate Strategy and Member of Board, Tsutomu Une, told journalists on the sidelines of the India Economic Summit.
The company was working on a synergy plan with Ranbaxy under which Daiichi Sankyo’s product would be introduced in emerging markets through Ranbaxy, he said. Asked about Ranbaxy’s USFDA issue, he said Daiichi was working to resolve the matter. Ranbaxy had no issue with the Japanese drug regulator, he added.
Last year, the USFDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) had banned 30 generic drugs produced at Ranbaxy’s plants at Poanta Sahib (in Himachal Pradesh) and Dewas (in Madhya Pradesh) citing violation of good manufacturing practice.
Subsequently, the Application Integrity Policy (AIP) was imposed on the Poanta Sahib facility meaning the company’s drug applications were not reviewed. Earlier this year, both companies entered into an arrangement under, which Ranbaxy would market the branded products from Daiichi Sankyo’s portfolio in regions where the Japanese firm did not have a presence.
The Gurgaon-based company has recently launched Evista, a drug used for treating osteoporosis, through its subsidiary in Romania from Daiichi Sankyo’s portfolio.
