Ranbaxy Plans Global Thrust With 20 Brands

Ranbaxy Laboratories has identified 20 to 25 global brands to help catapult it to multinational status. The shortlisted brands include products which Ranbaxy plans to develop indigenously as well as brands which it is seeking to acquire.

The New Delhi-based pharmaceuticals company is already engaged in talks with some Indian companies to acquire certain brands. It is also scouting for similar acquisition opportunities abroad.

We have identified a series of global brands that we will be marketing worldwide over the next several years...Some are already in our mix, others will come soon, said Ranbaxy chairman and managing director Parvinder Singh.

Singh disclosed that his team is constantly scouting around, both in India and abroad, for the right kind of brands to fit into Ranbaxys global plans.

There are products available (for acquisition in the country)...These (talks) sometimes take time to mature, he said, emphasising: Our focus is on acquisition of brands rather than companies to enhance our marketshares in major international markets. The company has already identified specific markets around the world that it plans to target over the next few years.

Ranbaxy is also focusing on getting its products registered in developed markets like the US, where stringent Food and Drug Administration regulations have to be met before a product is eligible for sale.

Meanwhile, Ranbaxy has decided not to set up any fresh manufacturing facilities of its own. Instead, it intends to pick up equity stakes in established domestic manufacturing companies that produce intermediaries. Apart from its core therapeutic areas, Ranbaxy has identified cardio-vascular, orthopaedic and dermatological drugs, along with drugs for the central nervous system as its new thrust areas.

We will invest in marketing, research and intellectual capital rather than on creating fresh capacities. In manufacturing, we will focus on creating joint ownerships, said Singh.