Within a week of submitting a Drug Master File (DMF) for an anti-allergic drug, the Parwanoo based Morepen Laboratories Ltd. has lined up another blockbuster filing in the US pharmaceuticals market.

This time, the company has entered the $ 8.3 bn anti-diabetics market of US with its insulin sensitizer-Pioglitazone Hydrochloride (Actos). The $1.7 billion (Rs.8000 Cr.) drug registered a growth of 18% in its annual sales last year and is the largest selling prescription medicine in the oral diabetics segment. Pioglitazone (Actos) helps to control blood sugar levels in type-2 diabetic patients by decreasing insulin resistance.

According to Mr.Sushil Suri, CMD, Morepen Labs, "Pioglitazone will be the first anti-diabetics drug in Morepen's portfolio thus giving the company an opportunity to enter into this fast growing pharmaceutical segment. The company expects to garner a market share of 10-15% of the generic market for this product."

"We will be filing six more DMFs for other blockbuster drugs over the next six months. These include three cholesterol lowering statins viz., Atorvastatin, Fluvastatin, Simvastatin; besides one DMF each in the Cardiac, Asthma and Anti-Allergic segments" Mr. Suri added.

Besides the US market, Pioglitazone also offers a big business opportunity in the domestic market since the anti-diabetics segment in India is growing at over 24% p.a as against 8% growth being registered in the entire pharmaceutical industry. Morepen is manufacturing the drug in its USFDA approved plant at Masulkhana (H.P) where it also produces Loratadine and Desloratadine.

Morepen has been on a revival and comeback trail and the Pioglitazone is the second in the series of DMFs being filed by the company for the US market.