Ray Laboratories (RL) Fine Chemicals, an active pharmaceutical ingredient major in the country has invested Rs 4 crore to set up a formulation R&D unit. This is a pre-cursor to its entry into formulation manufacture.
The 25 years old company has been a recognized player in the API space for neuro-psychiatry drugs. “We are now diversifying our operations to enter into research of new molecules in the areas of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. These are two therapy areas of the future along with neuro-psychiatry,” Anjan K Roy, managing director RL Fine Chem and president Karnataka Drugs & Pharmaceuticals Manufacturers Association told Pharmabiz.
In a bid to offer its expertise in formulation research, the company has opened a dedicated R&D facility at Yelahanka Industrial Area in Bangalore where it already has two units manufacturing APIs. The research facility will be commissioned a few weeks. The current strength of the research centre will be 10. There are expansions in terms of infrastructure and people expected. For this the company will infuse another Rs 6 crore and take the total strength to 30 by 2011.
For the last two and half decades, the company has been known for its psychotropic bulk drugs. It has entered into several long-term partnerships with multinational companies for supply of its range of anti-psychotropic products. The major players in the segment are Lundbeck, Novartis, Roche, Abbot, and Pfizer who have a wide range of formulations. Its exports are to Europe, Latin America, Japan, North America and Canada. It also caters to the needs of the emerging markets. The company has received DMF for four products and has applied for Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for another two products.
The company today is the largest manufacturer of amitriptyline hydrochloride in the world. The other bulk drugs in the range of psychotropics are butriptyline hydrochloride, chlorpromazine hydrochloride, citalopram, and clomipramine hydrochloride to name a few. It also manufactures APIs used in muscle relaxants, antihistamines, antispasmodics, vasodilators, anti diarrhoeas etc.