Tata Steel, the world's sixth-largest steel maker, is looking to acquire Brazilian iron ore assets of the United Kingdom-based London Mining, which will help ensure raw material supply for its Anglo-Dutch subsidiary, Corus. The valuation of the asset is yet to be completed, but analysts said that it would be in the range of $2 billion.
Engineering giant Larsen and Toubro and Aditya Birla group firm Grasim Industries are set to settle their long-standing dispute over the sale of cross-holdings out of court. Both the companies are believed to be in consultation with Chennai-based chartered accountant S Gurumurthy to act as arbitrator.
Voveran, Novartis India's flagship pain killer medicine, has become the largest selling domestic drug with sales of more than Rs 11 crore (Rs 110 million) in March 2008, displacing Pfizer India's cough and cold syrup Corex, which had sales of Rs 10 crore (Rs 100 million). Cipla, on the other hand, maintained its leadership position as the largest domestic pharmaceutical company edging out Ranbaxy Laboratories with a market share of 5.24 per cent.
Even as a heated debate goes on in the corridors of power and academic circles on the impact of large retail chains on small shops, in one sector it is clear that the big players are close to biting dust. At least two large pharmacy chains are up for sale, industry sources said. Some others have shaken up their top management, while a few have cut back on their expansions. One is trying to rediscover its business model by looking at rural markets. And all are woefully short o
The 300 mw Group Captive Power Project (GCPP) being set up by Vidarbha Industries Power (VIPL), a special purpose vehicle (SPV) formed by Reliance Power, at Butibori near Nagpur in Maharashtra, will soon enter the construction phase. Sources said the required land has been acquired and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has given the green signal for setting up the project. Reliance Power will soon award the EPC contract for the Rs 1500 crore project.
Ranbaxy Laboratories on Tuesday announced a business alliance with Orchid Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals across multiple geographies and therapies, for finished dosage formulations and bulk drugs. The new alliance will explore new products and markets without disturbing the existing alliances. The deal is independent of any commitment related to management control and is a pure arm's length, independent strategic biz alliance. Ranbaxy will benefit from Orchid's future products
In a move to catapult ayurveda to the main stream of healthcare in the country, the Tata Group is setting up the Indian Institute of Ayurveda Integrated Medicine in Bangalore. The institute will function in association with the Department of Science and Technology, and the Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions, a Bangalore-based NGO that supports traditional healing methods.
Anil Ambani-promoted Reliance Power (R-Power) has roped in international consultancy firm Ernst & Young (E&Y) to upgrade its Sasan ultra-mega power project (UMPP) in Madhya Pradesh to conform to the norms for receiving carbon credits.
Dr Reddy's Laboratories & Strides Arcolabs are at a risk of raiders as their promoter holdings are less than 26%. Promoters of Dr Reddy's have 25.15% stake as on Dec 31, 2007 and the share value of the company has dipped 19.9 per cent since January 1 this year. The Bangalore-based Strides Arcolab had only 18.82% promoter-holding as on Dec 31, 2007. The stock price of the company has gone down 34% in the same period. The promoters are taking steps to correct the situation.
Germany-based Humana Milchunion eG, one of the largest baby food products and therapeutic multivitamins manufacturers, will soon foray into India and neighbouring markets in a big way.
While the April to September period (H1) saw as many as eight major deals worth over Rs 5,000 crore (Rs 50 billion), the second half of the year saw a sharp drop in the value of such deals to about Rs 1,500 crore (Rs 15 billion). Though the number of deals in H1 and H2 is almost the same, the sharp decline in value in the second half indicates a clear change in outlook and strategy of companies, say industry experts.
Reliance Power Limited, the flagship company of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG), plans to invest about Rs 2,500-3,000 crore (Rs 25-30 billion) over a period of three years, to develop three coal mines to fuel its Sasan Ultra Mega Power Project in Madhya Pradesh. Reliance Power currently has access to coal reserves of about one billion tonnes in India and abroad, including a coal mine in Indonesia, which it acquired recently.
The US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has asked Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories, the US subsidiary of Mumbai-based Sun Pharmaceuticals Industries, to withdraw many batches of its generic Metformin Hydrochloride tablets used for treating diabetes, citing efficacy and quality issues. According to a USFDA Class II withdrawal announced on March 19, Caraco will have to withdraw seven lots of Metformin Hydrochloride in bottles of 100, 500 and 1000 tablets each.
The next time you buy a shirt or trouser that claims to be stain- and wrinkle-free, thank nanotechnology for it. The Indian government has allocated Rs 1,500 crore (Rs 15 billion) for the development of nanotechnology which involves studying and working with matter on an ultra-small scale. The nanotech market globally is expected to cross $1 trillion by 2010. In India, the maximum research in nanotechnology is taking place in the biotechnology and medicine segments.
Analysts feel this decision is yet another example of big-ticket acquisitions turning sour for Indian pharma firms, as happened in the case of Dr Reddy's acquisition of Betapharm of Germany for Rs 2,250 crore (Rs 22.5 billion).
Mumbai-based Sun Pharmaceuticals has filed a post-grant opposition with the Mumbai patent office against a product patent granted to the extended release version of Johnson and Johnson's (J&J) blockbuster drug Risperdal, used in the treatment of psychological disorders and schizophrenia.
Sun Pharma has increased its stake in Israel's Taro by buying 9.5% more, raising its total holding to 34.4 per cent.
The initiative will include special training for Customs and drug regulatory officials to identify spurious drugs, their origin, distribution chain and follow-up action to raid premises and book culprits, in coordination with regulatory and police officials of various countries.
Pharma majors are collaborating with foreign companies to develop newer drugs.
More than half of the small-scale pharmaceutical units operational in India have either closed down or indefinitely suspended business activities in the last two years, having being struck by un-favourable government policies and the inability to compete with big companies in the changing business environment.
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