Ranbaxy intends to relaunch Sotret skincare brand in US

Indian drug maker Ranbaxy intends to relaunch its Sotret skincare brand in the US through a marketing partnership with Canada-based Cipher Pharmaceuticals.

Cipher said that the pre-commercial activities are being discussed with the Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals, the company’s US partner, for an expected Q4 launch, reports economictimes.com.

The company said that the US regulator will have a final review of the drug on 29 May, the newspaper added.

Sotret, whose chemical name is CIP isotretinion, is Ranbaxy’s flagship skincare brand that was banned in 2008; however, it will now be manufactured by Cipher.

Cipher claims to specialise in developing improved formulations of the existing drugs and out-license them to the partners for a fee.

Ranbaxy CEO and MD Arun Sawhney said that the firm plans to relaunch Sotret in the field of dermatology at the earliest.

Sawhney added that the launch was a part of the firm’s strategy to focus on dermatology to strengthen its presence in the branded business.

The report said that Sotret, before being banned, was Ranbaxy’s third best selling drug globally with an estimated annual sales of over $50m.