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Aspirin vanishes from drug store shelves

BS Corporate Bureau

Low-dosage aspirin, the lifeline of the country's heart patients, has done the vanishing act from drug stores across the country.

"The drug has gone into short supply in the last few weeks," government sources admitted.

Though the drug has been under price control for some time, producers had found a procedural loophole to circumvent it.

If produced by a small-scale unit, the product would not be subject to price control. As a result, some producers had parked their brands and manufacturing in small-scale units and sold their low dosage aspirins at almost 70-80 paise per tablet.

Through a series of orders passed between December 2000 and June 2001, the government plugged this loophole.

Now, all producers are required to sell low-dosage aspirin at 12-14 paise per tablet.

"This has caused many units to discontinue production. After all, they are not in the business for love and affection," sources at National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority said.

Companies like US Vitamins, sources said, have written to NPPA expressing their displeasure at the whole affair.

Ecosprin, a brand owned by US Vitamins, is the largest player in the Rs 350 million low-dosage aspirin arena with a market share of almost 40 per cent.

The other brands in the market are ASA 50 of German Remedies and Loprin of Unichem.

To bridge the demand-supply gap, companies like Reckitt Benckiser have written to the government saying that they would rush the product to the markets.

In fact, Reckitt Benckiser has couriered its low-dosage aspirin, Colsprin 100, to several drug stores.

Over the last few years, low-dosage aspirin -- 75 mg to 150 mg tablets -- has been used increasingly as a blood thinning agent for people suffering from cardiovascular problems, with paracetamol replacing it as an analgesic.

Last week, Reckitt Benckiser had announced that it will be launching another low dosage aspirin, Disprin CV, in the market by the end of this month.

The launch is a part of the company's efforts to extend its Rs 200 million brand, Disprin, to new products.

To be priced at 14 paise per tablet, the company expects Disprin CV to corner a 10 per cent share of the market in the first year itself.

If successful, the company might remove its existing product, Colsprin 100 from the marketplace. Disprin CV will be marketed to doctors through the Nicholas Piramal network.

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