India caps prices of 50 CV and diabetes drugs

India's National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority ( NPPA) Januvia sitagliptin from Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK) and Volibo voglibose from Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (BSE:524715; NSE:SUNPHARMA). The only non-insulin diabetes drugs included on India's list of essential medicines are glibenclamide and metformin. Januvia is a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor, and Volibo is an alpha glucosidase inhibitor.

CV drugs facing caps include anticoagulant Clexane enoxaparin from Sanofi (Euronext:SAN; NYSE:SNY) and hypertension drugs Cardace ramipril from Sanofi and Telma telmisartan from Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (NSE:GLENMARK; BSE:532296). Clexane is low molecular weight heparin, Cardace is an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor and Telma is a small molecule angiotensin II receptor. The news sent shares of Sanofi's Indian subsidiary Sanofi India Ltd. (NSE:SANOFI; BSE:500674) down Rs341.50 (10%) to Rs2,913 on NSE and Rs330 (10%) to Rs2,900 in Bombay on Monday. ...