Biocon is planning to sell anti-cholesterol drug, atorvastatin, in the USfrom FY2013. The US market for atorvastatin opened up recently for genericcompanies. Biocon plans to follow Watson and Ranbaxy, which have alreadyreleased their products and are currently under six months' exclusivity phase.
The companyhas partnerships for atorvastatin active ingredient and we expect thesepartners to commercialise the products in the US from FY13 onwards. The company is one of the largest producersof statins. The company has seen a significant growth in branded atorvastatin(Statix) as well as sales of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API). Biocon isplanning to tap the European market, where it is currently selling atorvastatinwith its partners. In Europe, a few countries are still open, but the patentsare expiring. Biocon has major presence in emerging and unregulated marketswith its branded atorvastatin (Statix). On the company's biopharmaceuticalsbusiness, the existing products continue to grow and new launches will happen.Emerging markets will be growing with the new product launches happening there.
