Unichem launches women's healthcare division

Unichem Laboratories Ltd, the Rs 184.7-crore Mumbai-based pharmaceutical company, has launched 'Foreva', an exclusive marketing division offering a range of women's healthcare products. The division has targeted an annual turnover of Rs 50 crore, to be reached in three years.

The division will market products in the therapeutic areas of systemic antibiotics for pelvic infections, anti-protozoals, vaginal anti-infectives, anti-arthritis, anti-spasmodics and pain killers, and oral and injectable progestogens. To begin with, Foreva's product portfolio will have seven brands. Two of these have been recently acquired from MM Laboratories, and five are inherited from the Unichem division, the main marketing arm of the company.

The acquired brands, Cencredil for terminating pregnancy during the second trimester, and antibiotic Candizole, together have sales of Rs 1.5 crore. Brands acquired from Unichem include iron preparation Uniprogestive, a non-ethysterone brand Dubogen, and antiobiotic brand Salbacin. The combined sales of these five brands is Rs 7 crore. The products will be marketed by a field force of 150 executives, of which 44 per cent are women representatives.

According to P N Balasundaram, general manager, Foreva, future growth will come through products for osteoporosis, hormones, nutritional supplements and anti-cancer products that will be launched within next two years. The company is expecting 10 per cent of the total sales from the new division in the first year.

The total women's healthcare market is estimated to be roughly around Rs 3,500 crore, says Mr Balasundaram. He says, "Most drug companies concentrate on reproductive illnesses with no special focus on women's health in general."

"Women in urban India are facing a lot of pressures as they have to cope with professional as well as family demands. This is resulting in high levels of stress, depression, migraine and host of other problems," says D A Gadgil, vice-president, medical services, Unichem.

Foreva is the third marketing arm established by the company besides Unichem and Unisearch.