Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd, Indian pharmaceutical firm acquired by Japan's Daiichi Sankyo Co, has introduced anti-herpes medicine Valtrex in the U.S. market, a move that can significant push its revenue in the coming quarter. The company is currently manufacturing the generic drug from its Ohm Laboratories Inc. unit in New Jersey.

A Ranbaxy spokesman told, "Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals has introduced valacyclovir hydrochloride, 500 milligram and 1 gram tablets, having previously been granted U.S. FDA approval for these oral dosage forms."

The drug- valacyclovir hydrochloride- is a generic version of GlaxoSmithKline's anti-herpes medicine and launched in United States on November 25. Ranbaxy has been facing regulatory issues with US Food and Drug Administration over quality of some drugs manufactured in India.

But the latest development represents its high confidence level and it becomes the first company to file generic applications with USFDA. The company said, "Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals, being the first to file and to successfully challenge the valacyclovir patents, is the first generic pharmaceutical manufacturer entitled to offer an affordable alternative to the brand."

Research firm IMS claims that valacyclovir tablets sales stood at $2.2 billion in September.