Cipla targets asthma market with Advair copy

Indian pharma company Cipla has begun selling a generic version of GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) combination asthma treatment Advair (fluticasone/salmeterol) in Germany and Sweden.

The firm also has its sights set on the US, where GSK’s patent on the drug has expired, but the inhaler used to administer it is still in force. Cipla chairman Yusuf Hamied said the firm plans to apply to the US Food and Drug Administration later this year to market an aerosol version of the drug.

Advair was the world’s fourth best selling drug, and GSK’s best selling product, last year, generating $8.25 billion (£5.1 billion) for the pharma giant. The introduction of a generic version – to be sold as Serrofloin in Germany and Salmeterol/Fluticasone Cipla in Sweden – could see Cipla gain a significant chunk of GSK’s market.