Lupin and Celon Pharma announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which the companies will jointly develop fluticasone/salmeterol dry powder inhaler (DPI) product which is a generic version of GlaxoSmithKline's Advair Diskus.

Lupin will be responsible for commercialization of the product. Celon will supply the product to Lupin for its commercialization in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and other key markets. GlaxoSmithKline’s Advair Diskus had global sales of over USD 7 billion as of last fiscal.
 
Vinita Gupta, chief executive officer, Lupin said, "This collaboration is an important milestone in Lupin's efforts to evolve its global inhalation pipeline. We are very pleased to partner with Celon given their experience in the development and manufacturing of fluticasone/salmeterol DPI in Europe. This coupled with Lupin's expertise in inhalation product development and commercialization in the US and other markets will accelerate the development of generic Advair Diskus for global markets. We look forward to providing access to high quality, affordable fluticasone/salmeterol DPI as part of our strategy to deliver inhaled products to key markets."
 
Shares of the company declined Rs 11.4, or 0.68%, to settle at Rs 1,667.65. The total volume of shares traded was 37,823 at the BSE (Monday).