Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited (RLL) today announced that Nihon Pharmaceutical Industry Ltd. (NPI), a joint venture between RLL and Nippon Chemiphar Limited (NC), has successfully launched Clarithromycin 50mg, 200mg tablets (Innovator- Taisho/Dinabbot; brand name Clarith/Klaricid) and Terbinafine 125mg tablets (Innovator- Novartis; brand name Lamisil).

Clarithromycin is an antibiotic and Terbinafine, an anti fungal with a market size of around US$ 400 million and US$ 300 million respectively, in Japan, for the above dosage forms. The products will be sold in Japan under the Ranbaxy/Nihon Pharmaceutical Industry Limited label and will be marketed and actively promoted to doctors in hospitals as well as in clinics jointly by the field forces of NC and NPI, a Ranbaxy release said.

Commenting on the launch, Malvinder Mohan Singh, CEO & managing director, RLL, said, "It is our earnest intention to leverage the advantage of an early entry in the progressive opening up of the generic pharma market of Japan. We intend to rapidly introduce an array of generic therapies from our global portfolio."

Atul Sobti, president, Asia, API Sales & Purchasing and Global Consumer Healthcare, RLL, said, "Following the successful launch of Vogseal for Diabetes, we have now introduced Clarithromycin and Terbinafine and expect an encouraging response. The joint venture, NPI, reflects our strong relationship as well as strategic techno commercial partnership between Ranbaxy & Nippon Chemiphar. Together we will continue to increase the momentum on the product filings in the coming years and bring in more products to the growing Japanese pharmaceutical market."

According to the release, the company has entered the Japanese market in the year 2002 through a strategic alliance with a mid sized research pharmaceutical company, Nippon Chemiphar Limited (NC) of Japan. In July 2005, the JV introduced its first co-developed product Vogseal 0.2mg and 0.3mg tablets (generic-Voglibose) for the treatment of diabetes and presently commands a leadership position in Japan. In November 2005 the company increased its equity stake in its generic subsidiary Nihon Pharmaceutical Industry Limited (NPI) to become a 50:50 joint venture between Ranbaxy and Nippon Chemiphar.