Lupin has entered into a promotion agreement for Suprax 400 mg tablets with Ascend Therapeutics, Inc.

Under the terms of the alliance, Ascend Therapeutics will initiate promotion of the product in the US in the month of June 2008.

Ascend has a 50-person Women's Health sales force which will detail the product primarily to obstetricians and gynaecologists (OB/GYN). Lupin will continue to promote the product to paediatricians and family practitioners.

The antibiotic market for treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs) is US $450 million, and the OB/GYN area is among the top three physician specialties prescribing antibiotics for treatment of UTIs.

Dr Kamal Sharma, managing director, Lupin, said, that this strategic alliance with Ascend will help Lupin to fully explore and leverage an additional opportunity for promoting Suprax 400 mg tablets. Over eight million patients suffer from UTIs each year, with the vast majority of women. Suprax 400 mg tablets are an established antibiotic with a favourable safety profile and proven track- record in effectively treating UTIs and other bacterial infections.