Lupin Expands US Pediatric Brands Portfolio

MUMBAI, India and BALTIMORE, September 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Pharmaceutical Major, Lupin Ltd. and its US subsidiary, Lupin Pharmaceuticals Inc. (collectively Lupin) announced today that it has signed a strategic co-promotion agreement with US based Onset Dermatologics, LLC ("Onset") that grants Lupin exclusive rights to promote Onset's Locoid® Lotion (hydrocortisone butyrate 0.1%) to Pediatricians in the US. Locoid® is the most highly prescribed mid-potency steroid brand in the U.S.

Locoid® Lotion is a corticosteroid indicated for the topical treatment of mild to moderate Atopic Dermatitis in patients 3 months of age and older. Atopic Dermatitis (AD) is one of the most common skin disorders in young children and has a prevalence of 10% to 20% in the first decade of life. It is a chronic illness that requires a multifaceted treatment strategy in the setting of limited therapeutic options. Between 1997 and 2004, pediatric patients with AD (newborn to 18 years of age) accounted for an estimated 7.4 million office visits in the United States alone. AD, more commonly called eczema, now affects 10 to 20 percent of children in the United States and direct health-care costs exceed $3 billion, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Locoid® Lotion currently participates in a market that includes 17% of school-age children in the US between the ages of 5 - 7 years which is about 9.2 million children.

The addition of Locoid® Lotion will enable Lupin to strengthen its US Brand business and expand its product portfolio for the US Pediatrics segment. Lupin's current pediatric portfolio consists of Suprax® and Alinia® for Oral Suspension and such the Company is well positioned to capitalize on this opportunity. Onset has had minimal promotion of Locoid® Lotion to pediatricians. Lupin's 160+ strong specialty sales force will promote Locoid® Lotion with Onset providing strategic marketing support thus creating an opportunity for incremental revenues with minimal additional sales or marketing expenses.

"We are very pleased with the addition of Locoid® Lotion to our Brand portfolio and are committed to bring meaningful products to the US Pediatric community." said Vinita Gupta, CEO, Lupin Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Lupin Limited. Bob Moccia, President of Onset Dermatologics said, "This partnership will give pediatricians greater opportunity to utilize Locoid® lotion in their patients while Onset maintains its focus on promoting Locoid® to the dermatology community.  We are confident that Locoid® will continue to be the most prescribed mid-potency steroid brand in the U.S."

About Onset Dermatologics

Headquartered in Cumberland RI, Onset Dermatologics is a fully-integrated prescription dermatology company with a mission to deliver innovative therapies to dermatologists and their patients. In addition to Aurstat® Anti-Itch Hydrogel, Onset Dermatologics markets the prescription brands Locoid®, HylatopicPlus®, Tretin-X®, Minocin®, and Clarifoam®EF to dermatologists and their allied healthcare providers. Onset is expanding rapidly through internally generated innovation, acquisitions, in-licensing, and co-marketing opportunities. For additional information, visit http://www.onsetdermatologics.com.

About Lupin Limited

Headquartered in Mumbai, Lupin is an innovation led transnational pharmaceutical company producing and developing a wide range of branded and generic formulations and APIs globally. The Company is a significant player in the Cardiovascular, Diabetology, Asthma, Pediatric, CNS, GI, Anti-Infective and NSAID space and holds global leadership positions in the Anti-TB and Cephalosporin segment.

Lupin is the 5th largest and fastest growing top 5 generics player in the US (5.3% market share by prescriptions, IMS Health) and the 3rd largest Indian pharmaceutical company by sales. The Company is also the fastest growing top 10 generic pharmaceutical players in Japan and South Africa (IMS).

For the financial year ended March 2013, Lupin's Consolidated turnover and Profit after Tax were Rs. 94,616 million (USD 1.74 billion) and Rs. 13,142 million (USD 242 million) respectively. Please visit http://www.lupinworld.com for more information.

Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is the wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of Lupin Limited.  Headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is dedicated to delivering high-quality, affordable generic medicines and branded formulations trusted by healthcare professionals and patients across geographies. For more information, visit http://www.lupinpharmaceuticals.com

For further information or queries please contact -
Shamsher Gorawara
Head - Corporate Communications
Lupin Limited
Ph: +91-98-20-338-555
Email: [email protected]

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SOURCE Lupin Ltd