The Hindu Business Line : Ind-Swift gets two process patents

One of the patents is for an anti-infective, a new salt of an erythromycin derivative and the other is for fexofenadine, an anti-histamine drug used in the treatment of allergies, Mr V.K. Mehta, Promoter-Director of Ind-Swift, told Business Line.

"The implication of the two process patents is that other companies will not be able to develop these drugs in the same method. We have tried to cover all methods of manufacture in our patent and companies needing the product will have to tie-up with us," he said.

Meanwhile, the company is also looking at the global market, where the two products have a combined market of about $4 billion. "We had received a patent for the anti-infective in the New Drug Delivery System category in the US, last November. A similar patent on the anti-histamine product is expected shortly," he said.

Abbott is the original patent holder on the anti-infective and its patent is to expire in May 2005. Sanofi-Aventis is the patent holder on the anti-histamine product.

"While the patent on the product is to expire around 2012 in the US, there is a patent-challenge by another company on the product. If the patent-challenge wins, then the product could be in the open market by around 2007," Mr Mehta said.

Ind-Swift is looking to market these products in the "soft-European markets (where the regulations are not so stringent)" till such time that the US market opens up for these products.

The company makes finished dosage forms of medicines and is looking to clock a sales of about Rs 230 crore for this fiscal ended March 2005.

"The presence of Ind-Swift Labs, a group company, dealing in bulk drugs in the international markets, with an export turnover of over Rs 60 crore, would facilitate the smooth entry of Ind-Swift Ltd in the soft regulated and non-regulated markets ", he added.

Meanwhile, Ind-Swift Laboratories has received research orders worth $3-5 million from two unnamed European pharmaceutical companies, the company said.

The contracts are in the cardiology and hypertension segments.

The orders are for the company to conduct research over the next 18 months on drugs that have a market size of $8 billion, it said.