Calcutta, Aug. 11: Eli Lilly and Company (India) expects to achieve a double-digit growth on the back of a series of drug launches.

The company has launched its latest innovation in diabetes care called Humalog Mix. “We expect a healthy growth in the current fiscal. The new drug will boost our earnings further in the next fiscal,” chairman and managing director Rajiv Gulati said.

Next, it will launch Arxaant for diabetes retinopathy. “Seventy per cent of diabetic patients suffer from other complications and this drug will help patients with diabetes induced eye problems,” said Gulati. The product has entered the phase-III trials. It will be introduced in the US in 2007 and at home in 2008.

The company also plans to introduce pulmonary insulin in the country in 2009 following its launch in the US in 2008. “This has also moved into the phase-III trials,” said Gulati.

Apart from diabetes, the company plans to launch drugs for the treatment of cancer and cardio-vascular diseases.

“We will launch Alinta for lung cancer, which has already been introduced in the US and Europe,” said Gulati. The company has recently launched Enzastaurin to treat cancer, which will be introduced in India soon.

“We have also entered into a global development and marketing licence with a Japanese company for an oral drug for diabetes. At present, we are conducting its feasibility study in India,” he said. In cardio-vascular drugs, Eli Lilly plans to launch Prasugrul in 2009, following its worldwide launch in 2008.