Wockhardt enters billion-dollar anti-allergic Zyrtec market in the US

Wockhardt Ltd has announced the launch of cetirizine tablets in the US market. The company received the ANDA from the US Food & Drug Administration (US FDA) for marketing the tablets containing 5mg and 10mg cetirizine hydrochloride, which is used for treating various forms of allergy.

Cetirizine is the generic name for the brand Zyrtec, sold in the US by Pfizer. The total market for cetirizine tablets in the US is $1.4 billion. Recently the product has been switched from 'prescription only' to OTC status and this is expected to significantly increase the potential for the product.

"Wockhardt is amongst the first companies to get the US FDA approval for this product as soon as the patent expired. Wockhardt USA Inc. has entered into a strategic marketing alliance with Leiner Health Products to market this product in the private label OTC markets," said the Wockhardt chairman Habil Khorakiwala.

With the recently acquired the US firm Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals, (See: Wockhardt acquires US pharma firm Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals) and its own subsidiary Wockhardt USA Inc. this product will be marketed in addition to the 56 products that Wockhardt already markets in the US generic pharmaceutical market. Wockhardt is thus emerging as a fully focused generic pharmaceutical supplier of medicines with innovative drug delivery system in sterile injectibles and generic liquid products.