Dive Brief:
- Lupin's subsidiary Kyowa is setting up a manufacturing plant in Tottori, to feed the growing demand for generics in Japan, where generics currently represent 49% of drug sales volume.
- The plant will be able to handle mass-volume products, while providing flexibility in terms of future expansion.
- Lupin, which is headquartered in Mumbai and has locations around the world, is one of the five largest pharmaceutical companies in India.
Dive Insight:
While generics already account for more than 80% of sales volume in the U.S., it is only 49% in Japan, which is the second-largest drug market in the world. However, the Japanese government is intent on changing that, and has targeted an 80% generic drug penetration rate by 2020.
Kyowa has responded to anticipated increases in demand by moving forward with a manufacturing plant with a 2-billion-tablet capacity. Lupin did not disclose how much it will cost.