Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries has marked its entry into the branded Ophthalmology segment in the US. Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company (SPARC) has licensed out Xelpros (Latanoprost BAK-free eye drops) to a subsidiary of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries for the US market. This is a part of Sun Pharma’s strategy to strengthen its presence in the US specialty segment.

In addition to up-front payment of $3 million, SPARC will receive certain other milestone payments, both totaling to $16 million from Sun Pharma. It is also eligible for certain defined royalties and additional milestone payments linked to the actual sales performance of Xelpros.

In December 2014, the USFDA had issued a Complete Response letter (CRL) to SPARC for its New Drug Application (NDA) for Latanoprost BAK-free eye drops. This CRL has since been replied to and a response from the USFDA is awaited.