Lupin eyes 15% share for Yasmin copy amid expectations of market shake up
This article was originally published in Scrip
Lupin’s Yasmin (drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol tablets) copy could potentially shake things up in the US market, some analysts suggest, referring to the Indian firm’s high vertical integration and price advantage.
On 19 December, Lupin announced that it had received final approval for its drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol tablets 3mg /0.03mg from US FDA, a generic version of Bayer’s Yasmin tablets. Lupin is to market its product in a wallet pack of 28 tablets comprising 21 yellow active tablets, each containing 3mg drospirenone and 0.03mg ethinyl estradiol, and seven white inert tablets.
Lupin told Scrip that given its general strong showing in the US – it is the market leader in 19 of its 42 generic products there with a share of 25% in some cases – it hopes to stay on course for similar growth with its Yasmin copy. “Given our track record, we are looking at a market share of about 15% in the next six to eight months,” Lupin said.
Generic Yasmin is expected to emerge as among the leading contributors to Lupin’s revenues in its 30-strong oral contraceptives portfolio for the US, the company added. Yasmin tablets reported US sales of about $275 million for the 12-months ended September 2012, as per IMS data.
An analyst suggested that Lupin’s high degree of vertical integration – seen at 75-80% in some products - and price competitiveness could help it make inroads in the segment. Besides, the indications are that the innovator product still accounts for a significant chunk of the market for drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol tablets, suggesting that, among other factors, price erosion may not have been steep so far. Lupin, the analyst believes, could perhaps shake things up in the three player generics space that currently includes Sandoz and Watson. “Obviously, the entry of competition does destabilize the price. There would be price erosion,” a senior Lupin official was quoted as saying on a television channel.
Lupin currently has about five products including a generic of Warner Chilcott's, Femcon Fe on the US oral contraceptives market, a segment where it sees limited competition and significant entry barriers.