Lupin has entered into a definitive agreement with Celon Pharma S A (Celon) to develop fluticasone/salmeterol dry powder inhaler (DPI) product which is a generic version of GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) Advair Diskus. Lupin will undertake marketing of the product and Celon will supply the product for commercialization in the the US, Canada, Mexico, and other key markets. GSK's Advair Diskus had global sales of over US$ 7 billion as of last fiscal.

Vinita Gpta, CEO of Lupin, said, “This collaboration is an important milestone in Lupin's efforts to evolve its global inhalation pipeline. We are very pleased to partner with Celon given their experience in the development and manufacturing of fluticasone/salmeterol DPI in the US and other markets will accelerate the development of generic Advair Diskus for global markets. We look forward to providing access to high quality, affordable fluticasone/salmetmerol DPI as part of our strategy to deliver inhaled products to key markets.”

Celon's CEO and managing director, Maciej Wieczorek, said, “Our scientific and technical teams look forward to collaborating with Lupin to bring this product to major markets outside of Poland. We are enthusiastic and believe that both the companies would work together to complete a time bound research and development program to ensure successful registration in targeted markets, for Lupin to effectively commercialize the product.”