DBL Pharma becomes second largest seller of popular muscle relaxant in US 

DBL Pharma Inc, an American concern of Bangladeshi DBL Group, has achieved notable success in the generic drug market of the United States.

In the last quarter, the company was named as the second largest seller of muscle relaxant methocarbamol tablets, according to a recent report by IQVIA – an American health and clinical research company.

The market report says among the 13 generic drug companies selling methocarbamol in the US, DBL Pharma holds 14.20 percent of the market share.

The partner company of Indian Granules Pharma in the US held the first position.

Methocarbamol is a widely used medicine used to treat muscle pain in the US.

After the expiration of the proprietary patent of the first marketer of this medicine, mostly Indian generic medicine companies started occupying the market share.

By the end of 2018, DBL Group and Beximco Pharma of Bangladesh got approval of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market this medicine in the United States.

DBL Group is investing in the pharmaceuticals industry alongside its success in export-based readymade garments and ceramics business.

With an investment of Tk700 crore and with the seal of approval from the FDA, DBL Pharmaceuticals' factory in Kashimpur, Gazipur will start producing medicine for the Bangladeshi market by the end of this year, said M Nakibur Rahman, executive director for marketing at DBL Pharma.

In this factory set up on almost 10 acres of land, European machineries are being installed for producing tablets, capsules, syrup, injections and inhalers along with various other types of medication.

DBL has also purchased production and quality control technology and machineries to produce cream and ointment from the recently closed factory of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Bangladesh in Chattogram, Nakibur added.

As a result, DBL Pharma will be able to produce and serve the patients with the substitutes of Betnovate, Bactroban and other similar medicines with the same quality control mechanisms and using the same facility and technology that were being used by GSK.

In the first quarter of 2019, DBL Pharma Inc started marketing in America after purchasing the propriety of two generic medicines of the FDA-approved methocarbamol through contract manufacturing.

DBL started with a surprise, as the third Bangladeshi initiative in the US medicine market.

DBL Pharma is hopeful of exporting medicine to other developed countries after its Kashimpur factory goes into production.