Abhineet Kumar &Amp; Joe C Mathew

Stories by Abhineet Kumar &Amp; Joe C Mathew

India Inc cautious on capex

India Inc cautious on capex

Rediff.com   17 Feb 2010

A study of 435 companies listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange, which provide their capital-employed data on a quarterly basis, shows capex grew by a meagre 3.4 per cent in the nine months ending December 2009, compared to the level in March 2009.

Glaxo, Voltas in brand war

Glaxo, Voltas in brand war

Rediff.com   11 Feb 2010

Glaxo wants to obtain trademark rights for 'Volmax', the brand name of its respiratory medicine.

Medical device makers want higher import duty

Medical device makers want higher import duty

Rediff.com   8 Feb 2010

While the manufacturers want higher Customs duty to make imports costlier and encourage the domestic industry, the department has called for a reduction in the duty to bring down the cost of imported devices.

Foreign pharma firms ride R&D tax relief hope

Foreign pharma firms ride R&D tax relief hope

Rediff.com   4 Feb 2010

Multinational drug companies with research interests in India may soon find the market more lucrative. The government plans to revive, and may extend to foreign companies, the income-tax exemptions enjoyed by Indian research and development pharma companies till 2007.

Tata Steel to invest Rs 5,700 cr for expansion

Tata Steel to invest Rs 5,700 cr for expansion

Rediff.com   1 Feb 2010

Tata Steel plans to expand capacity to 10 million tonnes at Jamshedpur by August 2011 from 6.8 million tonnes.

More R&D needs tax relief: Pharma cos tell govt

More R&D needs tax relief: Pharma cos tell govt

Rediff.com   27 Jan 2010

The pre-Budget memoranda of the Indian Drug Manufacturers Association and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry have said more incentives are needed to spur drug research.

Drug patent regime has led to high prices: Study

Drug patent regime has led to high prices: Study

Rediff.com   27 Jan 2010

As drug multinationals from the United States demand a stronger intellectual property regime that gives exclusive marketing rights for their patented medicines in India, their own government has said the IP system is partly responsible for the extraordinary increase in prices for some medicines in the US.

Anti-obesity drug may be banned

Anti-obesity drug may be banned

Rediff.com   25 Jan 2010

Over 20 drug companies marketing anti-obesity drug sibutramine under a variety of brand names are likely to soon face a ban on selling the medicine.

US to curb delay in entry of generic drugs

US to curb delay in entry of generic drugs

Rediff.com   20 Jan 2010

Indian pharmaceutical companies, which are increasingly choosing to settle patent litigation with global drug majors in the US, would have to be more cautious now.

Pharma tops in patent suits

Pharma tops in patent suits

Rediff.com   18 Jan 2010

Pharmaceutical patents are just over a fourth of all patents granted in the country, but domestic drug makers account for almost all post-grant patent opposition filed, official data reveals.

Rush begins to become patent agents

Rush begins to become patent agents

Rediff.com   11 Jan 2010

There has been a sharp increase in the number of graduates who want to qualify as patent agents -- the intermediates between patent applicants and the patent office. Over 2,000 persons will appear for the national level examination conducted by the patent office that qualifies graduates to work as patent agents later this month. This is a five-fold increase over the number of applications that had reached the patent office last year.

Patent regime set for fresh changes

Patent regime set for fresh changes

Rediff.com   4 Jan 2010

India's product patent regime for drugs, which is now five years old, is set to enter a phase in which there will be a distinct change in the kind of patents sought as well as patent challenges, say officials and industry experts.

Cervical cancer drug majors vie for India pie

Cervical cancer drug majors vie for India pie

Rediff.com   4 Jan 2010

US-based Merck is confident that its cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil will help it to secure a position among the country's top five drug companies in the next five years.

Small drug firms cry foul over ethics code

Small drug firms cry foul over ethics code

Rediff.com   28 Dec 2009

The smaller players in the business - combined under the Small Pharmaceutical Industries Confederation - have raised objections to the proposed Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices.

'2009 was a good year, next will be brighter'

'2009 was a good year, next will be brighter'

Rediff.com   23 Dec 2009

Vedika Bhandarkar, managing director & head of investment banking, recounts how even in a supposedly bad year, the bank raised about Rs 1,00,000 crore (Rs 1,000 billion).

DOCOMO can take put option in Tata Tele

DOCOMO can take put option in Tata Tele

Rediff.com   22 Dec 2009

The annual report also mentions Tata Sons is obligated to buy the stake at the higher end of fair value or 50 per cent of the subscription purchase price.

India cracks human genome, joins elite club

India cracks human genome, joins elite club

Rediff.com   22 Dec 2009

Last week, scientists working with the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) in New Delhi decoded the genome of a 52-year-old man from Jharkhand after nine weeks of study -- a first in the country. The feat has helped India join a select club of countries -- the US, UK, Canada, Korea and China.

M&M is counting the carbon it emits

M&M is counting the carbon it emits

Rediff.com   14 Dec 2009

M&M is preparing a plan for carbon 'footprinting' of all group companies. That includes carbon emissions made even during air travel by employees.

Indian drugs face EU music

Indian drugs face EU music

Rediff.com   14 Dec 2009

Indian medicine accounted for over 50 per cent of all drug seizures in Europe for intellectual property rights violation last year. Industry experts said this indicates the seriousness of the problem. This data was revealed in the recently-released 2009 report of the European Union on the customs enforcement activities of its member states.

Aluminium at 14-month high

Aluminium at 14-month high

Rediff.com   12 Dec 2009

Aluminium producers are pleasantly surprised, as the price of the base metal reached a 14-month high of $2,188 per tonne this week despite the absence of any surge in consumption.