Thaindian News

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 24 (IANS) The city-based Hindustan Latex Ltd (HLL), premier manufacturer of contraceptives and various healthcare products, has launched its once-a-week oral contraceptive pill in Peru earlier this week, a company official said here Friday. This user-friendly pill is being marketed in Peru under the brand name ‘Ivyfemme’, which in Spanish denotes ‘friendship flower’.

HLL’s chairman and managing director M. Ayyappan handed over the first pack of ‘Ivyfemme’ to Sri Luis Castallo, managing director of Interamericas, the distributors for this product in Peru, in the presence of Andrea Luna, brand ambassador Ivyfemme in the South American country.

Ayyappan returned here Friday from Peru.

A spokesperson said HLL - which already exports to over 70 countries - would begin marketing the pill and other contraceptive products in other countries in the region in the coming months.

“Talks have begun in Brazil and we expect to close the deal soon,” he said.

Centchroman, the drug used in Ivyfemme, is the world’s first non-steroidal oral contraceptive pill with proven success rate and reduced side effects. HLL has a state of the art manufacturing facility for bulk production of Centchroman at its plant at Kanagala near Belgaum in Karnataka.

This once-a-week pill marketed under the brand name of Saheli in India, with the famed cine actress Sridevi as its brand ambassador, has emerged as one of the most preferred choice for women here since its launch in 1991, the company claimed.