Product details

Globally, as the blockbuster brand pharma products increasingly started going off patent, pharma giants showed an increased tendency to venture into generics business. In such a development, two renowned pharma concerns - Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc and Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited - launched their versions of blockbluster cholesterol drug Lipitor, as Pfizer, the innovator for the behemoth drug was about to lose patent. In its own right, Watson had earned the reputation of a leading integrated pharmaceutical company with worldwide operations. Rated among the five best pharma companies in the US, based on total prescriptions, Watson had many an accolade to its credit with its commercial operations in many established as well as emerging international markets across the world. Likewise, the Indian pharma giant, Ranbaxy, was also known to produce a wide range of generic medicines with worldwide reputation among health care professionals as well as patients. With its presence in most of the world's top pharma markets and its global footprint in many countries, Ranbaxy was arguably India's largest pharma company. With both the companies having their share of advantages as well as challenges while launching Lipitor generic, it remained to be seen which one actually would succeed in optimising the benefits in its own favour.