Allergan India, the 51:49 joint venture of 1.3 billion US-based Allergan Inc and Nicholas Piramal India Ltd, is eyeing a couple of eye-care brands from Indian companies to strengthen its pharmaceuticals business. The company recently purchased two brands -- Genticyn and Albucid -- from Nicholas Piramal.

According to K T Rajan, director - operations, Allergan India, the company is scouting for brands in therapeutic categories like anti-infectives, anti-inflammatory (both steroidal and non-steroidal) products for glaucoma and other ocular diseases. Besides pharmaceuticals, surgicals and lens care are the other core areas for the company.

The company has recently launched a contact lens cleaning solution, ''New Complete Comfort Plus Formula'', and hopes to grab a 10 per cent share of the market for these products in the first year of operations. The lens solution market in the country is dominated by Bausch and Lomb, followed by Cibavision of the Novartis group. These three companies have an 80 per cent market share.

Rajan said that both Genticyn and Albucid are mass brands with an approximate turnover of Rs 8 to 10 crore. While the eye drop brand will henceforth be marketed by Allergan India, NPIL has retained the Genticyn injectible brand. The agreement with NPIL also enables Allergan to extend the brand name Genticyn to other eye care products, according to Rajan.

Elaborating on Allergan''s strategy for India, Abhijit Basu, marketing director for Asia-Pacific operations, said the company will introduce 17 new products in the next three years in the core categories of pharmaceuticals, surgicals and lens care. Ten products would be launched in the pharma category, three in lens care and the remaining in surgical categories. Allergan India has 10 products in the pharma category at present.

The US parent is in the process of investing another Rs 8 crore in the Indian venture which will take its investment in Allergan India''s equity to Rs 17 crore.