Lupin to acquire 51-per cent stake in Dafra

Lupin Ltd has announced that the Company has signed a MoU to acquire 51 per cent equity in Artifex Finance CVA, Belgium, along with its subsidiaries including Dafra Pharma Ltd (Dafra), a Belgian pharmaceutical company focussed on anti-malarials.

Dafra is a dedicated anti-malarial company that provides a complete basket of Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACT''s), including a unique paediatric suspension and also holds a patent on a new combination therapy that cures malaria in 24 hours. Dafra has developed a marketing and distribution network covering over 25 countries in Africa and works closely with the national malaria boards in various countries.

Lupin, a leader in anti-TB medicines, is pre qualified by WHO to supply to Global Drug Facility and other multilateral organisations. The two companies plan to develop new therapies jointly in this field for use by WHO and RBM.

Simultaneously, Lupin will be able to access the existing Dafra infrastructure and distribution network in Africa to market its range of products.

Dr. D B Gupta, chairman, Lupin Laboratories, said, "This acquisition is a great strategic initiative and will leverage the company''s TB franchise with the WHO / Global fund. Lupin''s R&D will be able to add considerable value and move pipeline projects faster to the market."

The World Health Organisation (WHO) had earlier this year urged pharmaceutical companies to stop selling the ancient Chinese herbal remedy-based malaria drug artemisinin as a single-drug treatment, as this leads to drug resistance. Roll Back Malaria (RBM) and WHO now recommend the use of Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACT''s), in order to ensure high cure rates (95 per cent or more) of the falciparum malaria parasite and to reduce the spread of drug resistance.