Fresenius to invest Rs 10 crore in Pune Facility

Fresenius Kabi India Pvt Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Fresenius Kabi AG, Germany, is planning to increase its presence in the country in a big way. The company is in the process of upgrading its manufacturing facility to meet European Union Good Manufacturing Practice (regulatory standards) and expects a 20 per cent growth in its turnover in the next year.

The company is investing Rs 10 crore on upgradation of the facilities, Rakesh Bhargava, managing director & CEO, Fresenius Kabi India Pvt Ltd, said. He informed that the company had sales turnover worth Rs 76.6 crore in year 2004 and is looking at increasing its domestic market share.

Interacting with Pharmabiz, Mats Henriksson, president, Asia Pacific Region of Fresenius Kabi, spoke about his company's interest in the Asia Pacific Region. "We have identified India and China as the two biggest markets in the region. Efforts will be to see these countries as a outsourcing base for our exports in the region," said.

Fresenius Kabi is the market leader in domestic parenteral nutrition and infusion therapy segments. The company finds great future in their third generation artificial colloids for Volume/Fluid Therapy treatment.

"Seventy per cent of blood transfusion that takes place in India is single units transfusion. The use of blood can be entirely replaced in these cases through alternate blood transfusion methods. Fresenius Kabi has invented new generation artificial plasma, Voluven, which is a safe, effective and economical alternative to blood. Voluven can be used in surgeries and accident victims to replace blood loss," Bhargava said.

The Indian arm employs about 600 people and comes out with a range of products in the parenteral and enteral nutrition category, as well as infusion therapy products for fluid substitution, blood replacement, anaesthetics and more. In the parenteral nutrition category, the company offers a complete range of products including intralipid emulsion. Some of the other brands the company offers under this category include Aminomix, Aminoven, Dipeptiven, Omegaven and Vitrimix.

(Ref : Chronicle Pharmabiz Dated March 24, 2005)

Mexican drug industry delegation visits Indian drug firms

An 11-member drug industry mission from Mexico, facilitated by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), is exploring business opportunities in India. The delegation is having interactions with leading domestic companies, research institutions and government departments.

The delegation is keen to explore opportunities in contract manufacturing, contract research, product development and clinical trials, collaborative research, custom synthesis and licensing of new molecules, remarked Ambassador Granguillhome, Mexican Ambassador to India. The Mexican pharma industry would be benefited by expertise of the Indian generic players, who would be able to provide the generic drugs at affordable costs, he added.

According to Ernesto Enriquez Rubio, Federal Commissioner of COFEPRIS, Mexico, the visit of the delegation would certainly provide Indian players to take a close look at the emerging Mexican market. The Mexican pharmaceutical market is expected to grow significantly in the next few years with the government tightening up regulations relating to generics and the improving economic conditions. COFEPRIS is a newly created federal commission in charge of sanitary risk protection.

The mission is visiting leading pharma houses in India like Strides Arcolab Ltd, Bicon, CIPLA, Wockhardt, Shantha Biotechnics Ltd, Auobindo Pharma Ltd, Nicholas Piramal Ltd, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, Serum Institute of India Ltd, Ranbaxy Laboratories and premier research institutions like Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology and IGIB.

(Ref : Chronicle Pharmabiz Dated March 24, 2005)