Makers of fine chemicals in India are eyeing the lucrative markets of the US and European through acquisitions. A kg-scale plant and drug development laboratories are planned by Nicholas Piramal India in the US, after acquiring a 50.1 per cent stake in Marsing & Co (Denmark) for around $6 M. Access to Marsing's 1200 customer base in 100 countries, plus a manufacturing base in Germany, is included

Marsing records sales of over $60 M/y. Hikal is looking for similar acquisitions in the US and Japan. It is also looking for an intermediates marketing company in the US. Outsourcing of pharmaceutical intermediates production to India is investigated, including schemes set up by Bayer HealthCare, Pfizer and Bayer CropScience. Syngenta is to outsource its agrochemical R&D activities to the country. SFR, the speciality chemicals conglomerate in New Delhi, India, intends to diversify into pharmaceuticals.

It plans two manufacturing plants in Rajasthan for the production of trifluoroacetic acid and more general pharma intermediates. The plants are expected to cost around Rupees 300 M. Gulf Oil Corp is to acquire a facility at Hyderabad in India and begin production of pharmaceutical intermediates.