SOHM India penetrates $2.5 billion West African pharmaceutical market, filling order for generic sildenafil

SOHM India, a subsidiary of the USA-based generics drugmaker SOHM Inc (Pinksheet: SHMN), has successfully executed a bulk purchase order and delivered the first 2 million tablets of sildenafil citrate 100mg, a copy version of the active ingredient in Pfizer’s top-selling erectile dysfunction drug Viagra, in West Africa. The pharmaceutical order is expected to drive revenue in 2010 and 2011 as future orders are delivered. The purchase order marks a significant step in obtaining market share in West Africa's $2.5 billion pharmaceutical market.

Earlier this year, California-based SOHM signed a sales and marketing agreement to sell its branded generic pharmaceutical products in Africa, although it did not name its new partner (The Pharma Letter May 25).

Comprising almost a third of the whole continent, West Africa is a region with a population of approximately 250 million. Imports of finished products account for over 60% of the African pharmaceutical industry. According to IMS forecast, Nigeria's Pharmaceutical business is worth $2.5 billion serving 150 million Nigerians. The pharmaceutical market in West Africa has been growing 5%-7% annually, the company noted.