Wockhardt's growth tonic: Covid vaccines add a third prong to biz strategy

In India, Wockhardt aims to make 2 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines within the next one or two years but has not disclosed the identity of the tie-ups

After selling a major part of its generic drug business to Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL) in February last year, Mumbai-headquartered Wockhardt took a strategic decision to channel its energies to two core areas — diabetes therapies in regulated markets like the US and novel antibiotics research. The Covid-19 pandemic added a third focus: Vaccines. “In the next three to five years, vaccines will be an important part of our business,” said Habil Khorakiwala, chairman and CEO, in late May.

In October last year, Wockhardt’s plant at Wrexham, North Wales, which had been supplying drugs to the  National Health Service, signed