Ranbaxy Laboratories is in talks with a German firm for acquisition and is set to buy a brand in the US besides setting up a manufacturing unit in Brazil, a top company official said.

The company is also poised to post 15 to 20 per cent rise in sales turnover in 2004 over net sales of Rs 3743.78 crore in 2003, mainly helped by growth in BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India and China), its CEO and managing director Brian W Tempest said.

Asked about the impact of new patent regime on Ranbaxy, Tempest said, "it is not going to matter much. We will be affected by what happens in the US generic".

The US business contributes close to 50 per cent of Ranbaxy's topline while Europe contributes about 20 per cent.The Indian market accounts for 18-20 per cent of the homespun pharma major's business.

On how long it would take to acquire the German firm, he said "when we bought a French company, it took about two to three years".Tempest, however, declined to give any financial details.

He said the company was also taking its UK, Australia, Canada and Mexico businesses "quite seriously" as these countries hold tremendous potential.

The company is planning the manufacturing unit on the outskirts of Rio in Brazil and business operations in Sao Paulo.Ranbaxy will produce those drugs in Brazil which it has been supplying to the country.The company has manufacturing units in seven countries, including China, Ireland, Malaysia, Nigeria and the US.

The plans to buy a German company comes close on the heels of Ranbaxy's acquisition of French generic firm RPG (Aventis) for which it had signed an agreement on December 13, 2002.

Along with Ranbaxy, Teva, the world's largest maker of generic drugs, is keen on the German market.Novartis of Switzerland and Merck of Germany are working with Ranbaxy towards expanding the $62 billion global generic market.

(From HindustanTimes, Dezembro 07, 2004)

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