Boehringer Ingelheim India and Eli Lilly India (Lilly), which represent the Boehringer Ingelheim–Lilly global alliance in the country, announced the launch and commercial availability of linagliptin (brand name trajenta) 5 mg film-coated tablets in India. The product will leverage the alliance’s distribution network and will be available on prescription in pharmacy outlets across the country from June 20, 2012.

Trajenta is the alliance’s first new product introduction, globally. In India, the Boehringer Ingelheim Lilly alliance already co-promotes humalog (injection lispro).

Linagliptin is an original research product of Boehringer Ingelheim and is approved in the United States, the European Union and Japan, among other countries, including India. The approval of linagliptin 5 mg was based on a clinical trial programme which involved approximately 6,000 adults with type 2 diabetes, which also included patients from India.

The Boehringer Ingelheim–Lilly alliance in India now offers oral anti-diabetics as well as contemporary injectable insulins. These offer a choice to the doctor in deciding the optimum therapy, depending on the patient’s needs.

“This alliance combines the strengths of two of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies. While the combined field force provides the spread to touch doctors treating diabetes across the country, the new launch provides more choice to the clinician,” said Sharad Tyagi, managing director, Boehringer Ingelheim India.

Commenting on the launch, Melt van der Spuy, managing director, Lilly India said, “This launch of linagliptin marks an important milestone for the alliance, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to providing pioneering healthcare solutions. The alliance will continue to focus on bringing to India innovative products and services to address the unmet patients needs amidst the growing Indian diabetes epidemic.”