Wockhardt's Azithromycin to battle Pfizer's Zithromax in the US market

Wockhardt Ltd has announced plans for the immediate launch of Azithromycin tablets in the US markets for which it had earlier received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA).

Azithromycin is the generic name for the brand Zithromax, sold in the US by Pfizer.

Wockhardt will launch tablets containing dosages of 250mg, 500mg and 600mg of Azithromycin, which is used for treating various kinds of infections.

"Wockhardt is only one of the four companies to have received this approval," said Wockhardt chairman Habil Khorakiwala. "Development of Azithromycin is a reflection of Wockhardt's strong R&D for bulk drugs and formulations. This again is proof of Wockhardt's commitment and dedication to developing innovative technologies, to capture opportunities in the USA."

According to IMS, the total market for Azithromycin tablets in the US is $0.7 billon equivalent to nearly 250 million tablets. It is used in treatment of several kinds of infections and is one of the most potent, powerful and safe antibiotics.

In the prescription generic pharmaceutical market, Wockhardt has been consistently growing market shares for all its products. Wockhardt today markets over 50 products in the US.

The Azithromycin API is manufactured in the FDA approved API facility at Ankleshwar, Gujarat and the tablets are manufactured at the US FDA-certified formulation plant at Aurangabad, Maharashtra. The API and the product were developed in-house.

Wockhardt is one of the few companies with end-to-end integrated capabilities for its products, starting with manufacture of the oral and sterile API's, the dose forms and marketing through the wholly-owned subsidiary in the US, enabling the Company to capture maximum value.