Another PPI player
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Takeda will launch its Rx proton pump inhibitor Kapidex (dexlansoprazole) despite a market filled with OTC alternatives, established brands and low-cost generics. The Japanese firm is banking on the drug's novel dual delayed-release formulation to differentiate it in a field that could soon include a generic version of its own Prevacid (lansoprazole), which Novartis licensed to develop. Takeda will need to market Kapidex in a manner similar to AztraZeneca's launch of Nexium (esomeprazole) when its Prilosec (omeprazole) went generic (1"The Tan Sheet" July 26, 2004, p. 8). The OTC PPI market also is more crowded after Procter & Gamble lost exclusivity for its Prilosec OTC in March 2008 and private label alternatives hit the market. P&G reported declines in Prilosec OTC sales since then, including a double-digit drop in its fiscal 2009 second quarter (2"The Tan Sheet" Feb. 2, 2009, p. 12). Novartis said it is "committed" to launching an OTC Prevacid, but the firm has not discussed the timing of the launch (3"The Tan Sheet" Jan. 19, 2009, p. 3)