Lupin has tied up with Merck Serono, the biopharmaceutical division of Merck, to support the expansion of Merck Serono’s general medicines portfolio in emerging markets. A statement from Lupin said the tie-up would address the local needs for affordable, high-quality medicines.
While no financial details of the tie-up were available, Lupin said it had an established working relationship with Merck and the agreement could add up to 20 new products to the current portfolio. Lupin will receive an upfront and milestone based licensing fee. The first launches are expected in 2016.
Lupin will develop products, provide product dossiers and supply finished products to Merck Serono which will be the marketing authorisation holder for the products and will leverage its strong commercial and medical teams in emerging markets to bring new medicines in its portfolio to customers.
“This strategic partnership builds on the existing close collaboration between our two companies,” Vinod Dhawan, Group President, Asia Pacific, the Middle East & Latin America, Lupin, said in a statement. “We are delighted to enter into this alliance, which is an extension of our existing partnership into a much larger, multi-regional one.”
The partnership will help Merck Serono expand its overall portfolio in general medicine and endocrinology. It will cover major markets such as Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, the Philippines, countries in Africa, Central Eastern Europe as well as other emerging markets. It will focus on cardiovascular and diabetes diseases. Lupin said that in Africa, medicines would also be supplied for additional therapeutic areas, reflecting local healthcare needs such as availability of antibiotics.
“This collaboration will significantly strengthen our portfolio and Merck Serono’s position as one of the major players in emerging markets, aiming to provide patients in these regions with better access to health,” Elcin Ergun, Head of Global Commercial, Merck Serono, said in a statement. For Merck Serono, sales in emerging markets amounted to around 1.8 billion pounds in 2013. On the Bombay Stock Exchange on Tuesday, Lupin stock scaled a 52-week high of Rs.1,442.3 before closing at Rs.1,362.6, a fall of 3.69 per cent.
