The brands of new molecules launched by Indian companies during the current financial year (June 2003 -'04) have generated a total revenue of Rs 3091 million. These brands, which contribute 28 per cent to the value of total new products launched during this period, are mainly in the therapeutic areas of pain management (analgesics), cardiac and respiratory, according to ORG-IMS market intelligence report.

During this year, new molecules have fuelled the aggressive introduction of new products within the domestic pharmaceutical industry. According to Shailesh Gadre, MD, ORG-IMS, an important point to note in the market analysis is that most of these new molecules have parallel products already existing in the market. For instance, valdecoxib and rofecoxib/celecoxib, citalopram and escitalopram, amlodipine and S-amlodipine, pantaprazole and aripiprazole, cetirizine and levocetirizine, etc, he pointed out.

"These new molecules appear to be eating into the shares of existing ones. As an example of this phenomenon, rofecoxib, cetirizine, amlodipine and citalopram have already been adversely impacted by their newer substitutes entering the market. This cannibalization has seen one third of the new molecules that were launched last year facing a decline, thanks to the launch of new molecules that are very close to their therapeutic value. Mosapride and citalopram, for instance, are declining by around 100 per cent," states Gadre.

Other key observations within report indicate that the companies that already have a presence in rofecoxib, citalopram, cetirizine and amlodipine are among the first ones to launch their newer relatives. "60 per cent of the companies, that launched a new molecule within the Valdecoxib category, already had a rofecoxib brand competing in the pain market," points out Gadre. "It is uncertain how this will play out the developments surrounding Rofecoxib. What is clear is that at a broader level companies want to kick-start sales and pursue a flanking strategy to skim the market before 2005," he added.

Of the new molecules launched, those in the NSAID, anti-histamine, channel blockers and cephalosporins categories have managed to net the highest sales.