GSK halves seretide price to take on Cipla

By Vikas Dandekar
MUMBAI: Asthma patients may breathe easier as GlaxoSmith-Kline Pharmaceuticals has halved the prices of its Seretide inhaler in India to match that of Cipla’s competing brand Sereflo.

Experts said the decision announced last week by the UK-based world leader in respiratory drugs may put pressure on other players to react but the market share may not alter immediately as doctors may be reluctant to switch patients to new brands abruptly.

Cipla lords over the segment with a65 per cent share while Lupin is a distant second and GSK third with 16 per cent. The company’s outgoing managing director Hasit Joshipura informed shareholders at its 90th annual general meeting in Mumbai that the company has matched the prices charged by Cipla for Seroflo inhaler, which comprises salmeterol and fluticasone.