All those who have wanted to quit smoking since a long time now have a help at hand. Pfizer India, theIndian sub-division of the New York based pharmaceutical giant, has announced the launch of its anti-smoking drug in the country. Known as Champix, the drug has already been launched in the US and other countries of the world. Infact, the anti smoking drug is presently available in 45 countries of the world, excluding India.
Till date, Champix had global sales of around $1 billion. With the inclusion of India in the list of the countries in which it has been launched, the sales of smoking-cessation drug are bound to hit a new high. As per sources, in the initial stage, Pfizer India will be launching Champix in only 17 cities in India. The complete package of the drug will cover a 12-week treatment program and will be priced somewhere around Rs 9,500.
Pfizer today boasts of being the largest research-based pharmaceutical company in the whole world. The company has been known to spend more than $7 billion a year (the latest update is of $7.6 billion, in 2006) in Research & Development alone. It has a presence in a number of countries in the world, including India and China. As per sources, Pfizer intends to spend a significant portion of its R&D investment in countries like India, China and Singapore, in the coming years.
