Nicholas Piramal in pact with global majors  ( November '29,2003, HBL)

NICHOLAS Piramal India Ltd has announced marketing tie-ups with Biogen Idec, France, and Chiese Farmaceutici, Italy, as part of its plans to increase the existing product line.

"The tie-up will help us to bring new therapies to the Indian market. Avonex will accelerate our growth in the biotechnology segment. We are looking at a stronger pipeline of new products," Dr Swati Piramal, Director, Strategic Alliances and Communications, NPIL, said here on Friday while announcing the alliance. While Biogen's Avonex is a therapeutic drug for multiple sclerosis, Chiese's Curosuf is a lung surfactant for premature babies with respiratory distress syndrome.

Avonex would be available as a 0.5-ml pre-filled syringe and priced at Rs 9,000 per injection. Nicholas Piramal expects to notch up Rs 2 crore to Rs 2.5 crore with a target of 50 patients during the first year of launch. According to Dr Piramal, the company would soon file an application with the Drugs Controller General of India to sell Avonex in India.

Given the high cost of both Curosurf and Avonex, the company planned to file for a customs duty exemption so as to reduce the price of the drugs and pass on the benefit to customers.