Cadila Pharma scouts for global partner

AHMEDABAD: Ahmedabad-based Cadila Pharmaceuticals, which has unveiled an intravenous dosage form of acid control drug Rabeprazole under the brandname Rabeloc IV, is scouting for partners to licence out the drug for regulated markets like the US, European Union and Japan.
CPL has already filed a global patent for Rabeloc IV.
"We are already talking to players in markets like US, Europe and Japan, preferably a global player, for a strategic alliance or a licencing agreement to market the drug globally," I A Modi, chairman, Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd, told newspersons here on Friday.
"As this is the first time that an intravenous dosage form for Rabeprazole has been developed in the world, we expect to make a major headway in the developed markets," Modi added.
This, Modi pointed out, was part of CPL''s strategy to take on the post-patent regime after January 2005.
"The two-pronged strategy includes focusing on R&D in new dosage forms for existing molecules, as in the case of Rabeloc IV, and also for new molecules," Modi said.
CPL, which already claims to have market share of Rs 90 crore in the Rs 1,720 crore gastrointestinal market, is targeting sales of Rs 20 crore from Rabeloc IV in the first year of launch.
Of total gastrointestinal drugs market, Rs 655 crore is accounted for by anti-peptic ulcerants and Rs 392 crore by proton pump inhibitors like Pantoprazole, Omeprazole and Rabeprazole.
Rabeloc IV is targeted at patients who are unable to take oral drugs, especially in critical conditions like gastrointestinal bleeding and surgery as it has a PH of more than six, a potency of around 90 per cent over the first 24 hours of being administered and does not react with any other commonly used drug, according to company officials.