Mumbai: Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd. plans to launch 15 products in its key US market to help revive its sales growth.
Among seven products with "first-to-file" marketing status, which will give it exclusive marketing rights for a few months, are cholesterol drugs Pravastatin and Simvastatin.
Ranbaxy said it expected to launch Pravastatin in April 2006. Simvastatin and Modafinil could hit the market by June, provided on-going litigation is favourable.
The company, which has seen its financial performance slide over the past two quarters due to sharp price erosion and litigation costs, expects sales growth of 18 per cent in 2006 compared with a forecast for low-single digits for 2005.
It also forecast operating margin of more than 16 per cent for 2006, against 8 per cent expected by analysts for 2005.
Ranbaxy said the steep fall in generic prices would impact its operating profit margin, but new product launches, lower research and litigation costs as compared with 2005 would offset that.
Part of the lower costs will come from shifting more of its clinical studies to India rather than relying on overseas contract research organisations.
Ranbaxy is awaiting marketing approvals for 47 products in the United States. Of these 32 are challenges to patents held by innovator companies and the company says it could have "first-to-file" status for 19 of them.
Ranbaxy is also eyeing greater growth from other markets such as Japan, Europe and BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries.
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