Wockhardt has launched Flomax (Tamsulosin) on Day-1 of the expiry of patent and genericisation. It had earlier received a tentative approval for Tamsulosin by the US FDA and this product is used for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH or non-cancerous enlargement of prostate). Tamsulosin is the generic name for the brand Flomax, marketed in the US by Boehringer Ingelheim. The patent on this product expired on April 27, 2010, and Wockhardt USA launched the product immediately.
Habil Khorakiwala, chairman, said, “Launching new products on the day of patent expiration is a critical factor for success in the US generic market and Wockhardt has been consistently striving to achieve this. The company has already entered into supply contracts with several customers in the US for this product.”
According to IMS, the total market for Tamsulosin capsules in the US is about US$ 1,650 million is one of the most used drugs to treat BPH. Prostate enlargement is a common condition afflicting many men above a certain age and with the growing population of the elderly in the US, the demand will continue to increase.
The Tamsulosin capsules are manufactured at the US FDA certified formulation plant at Chiklthana, Aurangabad and it will use API, which is also being manufactured in its FDA approved plant. Both the API and the capsules were developed in house.