Wockhardt Ties Up With Domestic Research Institutes For New Molecules

Domestic pharma major Wockhardt Ltd has initiated talks with different research institutes such as the Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) for conducting basic research for the development of new molecules.

Noel J De Souza, director, research and development (R&D), Wockhardt, said the company has identified biotechnology and genomics as the thrust areas in the coming years and has plans to foray into these segments in a big way.

He said, Wockhardt has initiated talks with almost all Indian research institutes for possible tie up for R&D and the company will invest in research substantially. The company has recently filed over 20 world as well as US patents for products and technologies involving novel drug delivery systems (NDDs) and new chemical entities (NCE).

It has launched its product based on the cardiac drug Enalapril Maleate in the US market. Merck & Co's patent on the drug expired on August 22, 2000, and Wockhardt's product, a generic equivalent tablet of Merck's brand Vasotec, was made available in the US market from August 23, 2000, company sources informed.