Glaxosmithkline To Focus On Vaccines, Antibiotics

Pharmaceutical major GlaxoSmithKline India, the merged entity of Glaxo India and SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals, has worked out a strategy to focus on the areas of vaccines, antibiotics, respiratory and dermatology in the coming year.

V Thyagarajan, managing director of GSK, said: "As we merge our two companies, we will be focusing on vaccines, which is a tremendous opportunity area. Our strategy for the year ahead is to focus on profitable and newer products."

Thyagarajan also indicated that the company could look at brand rationalising in some form. "We would sell one or two brands during the year," he said.

GSK, which has a product portfolio of almost 200 brands, has sold five last year but Thyagarajan declined to elaborate which ones would be on the block.

GSK has been reticent in introducing new products due to the lack of intellectual property rights in the country. Thyagarajan said: "It is a big issue. There is no level playing field today and by law what the Indian companies are doing is not illegal."

On the recent FDI announcement, he said: "It does not affect us. India has been and will continue to be a strategic market. We have no plans of setting up a 100 per cent subsidiary...We have one in the form of SBHL. We have not decided what to do with it."

Thyagarajan was cautious in his reaction to the new drug policy that is expected anytime. He said, "Clearly, a new drug policy was overdue. We are told that it is on the anvil...But the government must send the right signal on the price control front. Pricing needs to happen. This is really the cry of the industry."

He added, "They are talking about raniditine to come off the DPCO List, but you don't know what else is going to go on the price list. So until we see the fine print and evaluate the full impact, it's difficult to say."