GLAXO'S ZOFRAN APPROVED IN JAPAN

Glaxo's Japanese subsidiary, Nippon Glaxo, which has received approval from the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Japan for both oral and injectable formulations of Zofran (ondansetron) for the treatment of cancer chemotherapy-induced emesis (Marketletter January 3 & 10), has forecast a spring launch for the product. This is the last major market for which Zofran's approval was outstanding.

The delay in getting Zofran approved in Japan means that Glaxo is lagging behind its major rival in the therapeutic sector, SmithKline Beecham, which launched its competing Kytril (granisetron) in Japan 18 months ago. In most other countries, Zofran was approved first. Nippon Glaxo will launch Zofran once its price has been settled and listed on the National Health Insurance price list. It will be comarketed by Nippon Glaxo and Sankyo.

According to the Financial Times, annual sales of Kytril in Japan have already reached a level of around L 70 million ($104.3 million). Zofran has an advantage over Kytril, however, in that it is available in both oral and injectable formulations, while Kytril is only available as an injection. Worldwide sales of Zofran for the year ended June 1993 were L 365 million ($544 million).