Lupin Receives “Innovator Award” from BioNJ

On Thursday, February 1, 2017, Symbiomix, a Lupin Company, received an “Innovator Award” from BioNJ, New Jersey’s trade association for the biotechnology community. Leadership from the company was on hand to accept the award at BioNJ’s 25th Annual Gateway Gala and Innovation Celebration dinner at the Hilton East Brunswick on February 1. The award recognizes outstanding industry leaders and companies with a significant footprint in New Jersey, including those that have earned noteworthy achievements or have received FDA drug approval. In 2017, Symbiomix received FDA approval for Solosec™(secnidazole) oral granules, for the treatment of bacterial vaginosis (BV) in adult women. Lupin acquired Symbiomix in Oct 2017. Lupin expects Solosec™ to be commercially available by mid-2018. Lupin has a substantial presence in NJ, with an R & D and manufacturing center in Somerset, NJ.

BioNJ’s signature event of the year, the Annual Dinner, brought together New Jersey’s biotechnology community to celebrate the many achievements of the industry in 2017, and to discuss the challenges and opportunities ahead in 2018. Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts presented a Key Note address.

“We are honored to be recognized among our peers for our efforts to bring innovation and value to the U.S. market,” said Vinita Gupta, Chief Executive Officer of Lupin Limited. “The ‘Innovator Award’ is especially exciting as the Solosec™ brand immediately expands Lupin’s US women’s health specialty business into the highly-complementary gynecological infection sector. This novel product is an important milestone in the evolution of our Specialty business and gives Lupin a new therapeutic to bring to obstetricians and gynecologists to treat a serious health condition they see frequently in their practices.”

“BioNJ’s 25th Annual Dinner Meeting and Innovation Celebration is about honoring the important innovation coming from New Jersey. We are thrilled to recognize Lupin Pharmaceuticals with a BioNJ 2017 Innovator Award for its approval of Solosec™,” stated Debbie Hart, President and CEO, BioNJ. “2017 was a record-breaking year with nearly 50% of approvals coming from companies with a footprint in New Jersey. We thank Lupin for its continued innovation on behalf of Patients.”

Lupin is quickly growing as a leader in the U.S. branded pharmaceutical sector, focusing much of its efforts on the women’s healthcare space. Solosec™ will be the second women’s health brand Lupin launches in the US. Our first women’s health brand, Methergine™, was launched in 2016. In addition, Lupin’s generic arm has already launched more than 25 oral contraceptive products.

“We have set ambitious targets for ourselves in the U.S. market,” said Kurt Nielsen, Lupin President, who is based in Somerset. “We are grateful to BioNJ for acknowledgement of Lupin’s efforts to enhance the pharmaceutical space, especially in women’s healthcare. The recent approval for Solosec™, which was a deciding factor for our recognition, highlights our continued commitment to grow our women’s healthcare portfolio. The demand for quality products for women is high, and so we will continue to focus our efforts on this space, providing new and cutting-edge approaches to improve a woman’s quality of life over her lifetime.”

Since 2016, Lupin has invested more than $1 billion in R&D and manufacturing in the United States. With commercial headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland, and R&D centers in Somerset, New Jersey and Coral Springs, Florida, Lupin employs 635 highly skilled and specialized employees in the US. More than 50 jobs are expected to be added over the next 18 months. With the acquisition of the Somerset facility in March 2016, more than 80 jobs were created, bringing the total number of employees in Somerset to 380. In addition, Lupin has invested over $20 million annually in R&D and infrastructure in New Jersey.