The Delhi-based Pharma Company, Morepen Laboratories has completed an export of $15 million of Loratadine, an antihistamine to international market since January this year. Morepen Laboratories had an arrangement with Geneva Pharma, the first ANDA filer as the sole supplier for Loratadine. Geneva had six month exclusivity on marketing Loratadine which came to an end recently. Morepen has started receiving fresh orders from other bulk drug companies like Genpharm, and would clock a business of more than $20 million in the current calendar year. The prices of Loratadine have also stabilized in international market and have not come down in spite of end of the exclusivity period.

Morepen has already launched Ranitidine an anti-ulcer drug in US market through MorepenMax, a joint venture company between Morepen and Florida based DrugMax. Morepen is also getting ready to file the ANDA for Loratadine and Atorvastatin in the US market. Atorvastatin is the no 1 drug world over and has a market size of more than US$ 10 billion. Morepen has a process patent for Atorvastatin Calcium for new and improved process for preparation of amorphous form of Atorvastatin Calcium.

Morepen Laboratories has also filed the DMF (Drug master file) for the drug Fluvastatin Sodium, a cholesterol-lowering drug which belongs to Statin family, in Canada. This drug has an estimated market size of $ 500 million globally and is growing at the rate of 25%. The company is also ready to file the DMF for and Des Loratadine, an anti histamine,

Loratadine had gone off-patent in December and has become the over the counter (OTC) product in December 2002, resulting in huge surge in demand for the drug.

Morepen is well placed to reap the benefits due to its significant Loratadine capacities (24 tonnes per annum) and various international tie-ups including that with Geneva Pharma and Gen Pharma. Morepen stands to gain immensely as it is the only US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) approved API facility in India and the largest generic facility in the world. The company is already making the drug in the domestic market from the basic stage and since there are no other USFDA approved plants for Loratadine in India, there is virtually nil competition. Morepen is already exporting bulk Loratadine to a number of non-patented markets and has around 28 registrations in European market.