Bicon Ltd and Lupin Ltd, two India-based pharmaceutical manufacturers, launched two drugs in the US, separately.
Bangalore-based Biocon launched an immunosuppressant, while Lupin launched a pain relief drug.
Biocon’s drug is called Tacrolimus, and it is a calcineurin inhibitor. The company said the drug is used in organ transplant patients to reduce the body’s ability to reject a transplanted organ.
“It has been particularly effective in treating patients of renal transplant for more than two decades,” the company said, calling the launch a ‘milestone’.
It received approval from the US drug regulator in November last year to launch the drug.
In a separate disclosure, Lupin Ltd said it launched Meloxicam capsules in 5 mg and 10 mg dosages in the US.
The drug, used for management of osteoarthritis (OA) pain, is a generic equivalent of Zyla Life Sciences’ Vivlodex Capsules of equivalent dosage.
Meloxicam Capsules has annual sales of approximately $11 million in the U.S.
Lupin sells branded and generic formulations, biotechnology products and APIs in over 100 markets in the U.S., India, South Africa and across Asia Pacific (APAC), Latin America (LATAM), Europe and Middle-East regions.
It has fifteen manufacturing sites, seven research centers and more than 20,000 employees.
Biocon focuses on chronic conditions like diabetes, cancer and autoimmune diseases.
It has developed and commercialized novel biologics, biosimilars, and complex small molecule APIs in India and several key global markets, as well as generic formulations in the US and Europe.