Mumbai: Cipla, a leading domestic pharma company, is focusing on its formulations exports to attain a turnover of Rs 17 billion in FY04 from Rs 15.5 billion in FY03, a 14-per cent growth.

The company will also tie up with several partners for US markets to cover formulation exports. It has inked product alliances with established generic firms like Watson Pharma, IVAX Corp and Eon Labs.

These partners have already done 11 abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) filings in the last two quarters based on Cipla''s products, some of which are believed to have the Para IV status.

There are total 90 projects for which Cipla is currently holding discussions with various partners. It is planning to file further 40 ANDAs in the next 12 months, according a research report issued by Enam Securities, a leading broking firm.

The company is also planning to focus on its own library of drug master files (DMFs) for sourcing bulk actives for the above projects. Momentum on DMF filings will be accelerated with 20 products planned in FY04 besides the current 38 filings done year to date (YTD).

The effort to gain a market share and to expand its product basket for Europe is exhibited by 45 product registrations in FY04 YTD. The company, in its 67^th annual general meeting, discussed its future plans. It is planning to increase its contribution from formulation exports to 40 per cent of its overseas revenues in FY04 from 37 per cent.

However, exports of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)-free budesonide inhaler to German markets has been delayed due to a regulatory license variation encountered in the dossier filing of Cipla''s marketing partner. Currently, Cipla is working on nine products (including combinations) for its non-CFC inhaler offering for European markets.

Cipla has developed a new process (believed to be non-infringing) for manufacturing Citalopram, the $2.2-billion anti-depressant drug that has gone generic in UK markets. Earlier, the company''s process was found infringing the patents of Lundbeck, the innovator. The patent challenge between Lundbeck and Genpharm, which has launched the generic version at-risk in the UK, will begin in October 2003.

The US patent expiry is slated for January 2004. Cipla has finalised a marketing partner for the US and aims to supply the bulk in the 66-tonne world market by mid-CY04, the report said. "In the domestic market, the overwhelming depth of product offerings has proved to be Cipla''s mainstay in maintaining a higher-than-market growth in the intensely competitive local formulation market."

About 100 new products were launched in FY03, which contributed 3-4 per cent of the domestic FY03 sales in value. The Goa plant contributed 27 per cent of the total goods manufactured in FY03.