The first generic formulation of a key triazole fungicide, epoxiconazole, has been launched amid claims of competitor muck-raking from its manufacturer.

Speaking at the launch of Cortez to independent agronomists and farmer-buying groups, Makhteshim-Agan‘s Mike Barrett said he was fed up with “everyone else in the market” talking negatively about his firm’s product.

“The industry is saying this is a poor quality formulation and why risk using it. But I am 100% certain Cortez will perform as well as Opus.”

Some of the “misinformation” was coming from trials done using a generic formulation of epoxiconazole Makhteshim sells in Poland, called Soprano, he said. “But Cortez has nothing to do with Soprano. It is a completely different formulation.”

He pointed to Makhteshim’s record of producing effective formulations in the past. “When have we ever launched a formulation that hasn’t worked?” he asked.

The major manufacturers used a number of other techniques to defend their market share of these products, he said, including bringing in supplementary patents and the introduction of mixtures involving the active ingredient.

Those mixtures were then priced “competitively” to make it difficult for the generic formulation to compete, he said.

With fewer new products likely to be launched, the nearly 20% of off-patent products that are still controlled by the patent holder would become increasingly valuable, he continued.

“And cereal fungicides are the jewel in the crown, worth £140m a year. Bayer, BASF and Syngenta control over 85% of that market.”

New co-formulations were being launched this year, he suggested. “In 2000 epoxiconazole sales were dominated by the straight product. Now less than a third is sold as the straight. Some has been innovation, such as mixes with the strobilurins. Now it is preparations for the defence.

“It is no surprise to us that Ennobe is coming in. I will suggest its pricing will be lower [for the equivalent amount of epoxiconazole].”

Mr Barrett said far from robbing the industry of its life blood, generics promoted competition. “Stifling innovation stops those manufacturers from having to find new products and answers. It prevents products from moving down to the ‘gold zone’ where there is increased choice, more competition, which is better for agronomists and growers.”

Epoxiconazole was the most significant patent expiry to date, he claimed. “It is a massively important active ingredient. If you sit back and don’t allow increased competition, the status quo will remain.

“Support Cortez on recommendation sheets and growers will see more choice,” he told the agronomists.”

Independent and regulatory trials supported the performance of Cortez, Makhteshim’s Stuart Hill told Farmers Weekly.

In an ADAS trial both epoxiconazole products gave similar control of septoria and yellow rust, and similar yields, Jonathan Blake of ADAS confirmed.

A second generic epoxiconazole formulation, Rubric from Cheminova (Headland), will also be available this spring.

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