Global Insight Perspective | |
Significance | Two Indian pharma firms, Torrent Pharmaceuticals and Zydus Cadila, have made their maiden entry into the anti-obesity market with cut price generic rimonabant. |
Implications | Lifestyle drugs are gaining ground as the effects of sedentary work culture in urban India have taken root. Studies suggest that 45% of urban women and 29% of men are overweight. |
Outlook | The move suggests a new wave of potential introductions by other leading Indian pharma firms, resulting in an expansion of the small segment. |
India's Torrent Pharmaceuticals and Zydus Cadila today announced the launch of generic versions of Sanofi Aventis's Acomplia/Zimulti (rimonabant) in the Indian market. Zydus Cadila is branding the drug as Slimona, priced at 5.50 rupees (US$0.13) per tablet, while Torrent has priced it at slightly higher level of 8 rupees per tablet, calling it Rimoslim. Rimonabant is an antagonist of central cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptors, and is being developed by Sanofi-Aventis for the potential treatment of obesity and as a potential smoking cessation agent. The drug was approved in several European countries as well as Brazil and Mexico earlier this year. Torrent said that it has conducted clinical trials on rimonabant in obesity (RIO), which have indicated significantly more weight loss with the molecule. The Press Trust of India has reported that the clinical trials indicated up to 8.6-kilogram weight losses, 9.1-cm reductions in waist circumference and insulin sensitivity.
The two firms have approached the segment with aggressive marketing support. Zydus has already begun introducing Slimona through medical conferences and other initiatives, acknowledging that its pricing strategy is designed to target a larger section of the population. Torrent, on the other hand, touted the superiority of the molecule among other anti-obesity therapies in the segment, and claimed that its pricing of 8 rupees per tablet is below the 40-rupees-per-tablet average found in the segment.
A Lifestyle Problem
India is witnessing a similar trend observed in developing countries such as China, relating to a growing incidence of lifestyle diseases. Obesity-linked disorders such as heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and cancer are being increasingly reported, particularly in the rapidly flourishing urban centres of the country. The Economic Times cites a Nutrition Foundation of Indian (NFI) study estimating that 45% of women and 29% of men in urban India are overweight and stating that ''the country faces a high risk of obesity in 20% of its population that consumes 80% of visible dietary fat''. The market for lifestyle drugs in the country is growing and has greater potential to expand. The anti-obesity drugs market that Torrent and Zydus are targeting is believed to be small, with a current turnover of just 250 million rupees per year, but it has witnessed a 44% growth since 2005/06, the source noted.
Outlook and Implications
Zydus and Torrent are cashing in on the growing trend in the market, and industry sources insist that this market is set to grow in the near to medium term. The launch of the drugs at cut-price costs will put pressure on any planned launches by other Indian pharma majors. Unlike the cardiovascular and diabetes markets, the anti-obesity segment is small, but with growing awareness of health-issues and greater access of drugs, the segment is likely to experience good growth. The move highlights Sanofi-Aventis's own drug, which may not have been patented yet by the Indian regulators, prompting Indian generic drug makers to move into the market and establish a vantage point. Sanofi launched the drug in Europe earlier this year but has reportedly not gained as much success as initially perceived due to limited reimbursement. However, the larger issue that could affect Indian firms is the outcome of a U.S. FDA's current review by an advisory panel over some safety issues (source: acompliareport.com), which is expected in June. Another drug that could be on the radar for generic copies is GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)'s alli (orlistat), which was approved as an over-the-counter (OTC) product earlier this year. U.S. pharma majors Merck & Co. and Pfizer are also reportedly developing products in the same class as rimonabant in their drug discovery pipelines.
Related Articles
France: 21 February 2007: U.S. FDA Publishes Metabolic Syndrome Guidelines, Cools Sanofi-Aventis' Acomplia Ambitions
United Kingdom: 8 February 2007: U.S. FDA Approves GSK's Weight-Loss Drug Alli for OTC Sale
India: 11 January 2007: Private Healthcare Groups Chase Growing Medical Expenditure in India with Expansion Plans
India: 30 June 2006: Opportunity Knocks for Pharma Firms as Diabetes Rates Rise in Rural India