Anglo French Drugs & Industries Ltd. has gone in for an investment of around Rs 25 lakh to set up a dedicated research & development centre for formulation development and testing of both allopathic and herbal drugs.

The lab is expected to go on stream in December 2005. The company has allocated around Rs 12 lakh each for infrastructure and equipment purchase for the new laboratory. The facility is coming up at Peenya in the outskirts of Bangalore.

"The new R&D facility would provide the much-needed fillip for the standardisation of herbal formulations. A lot of research and development is done to substantiate the product efficacy. An exclusive research wing is an integral part of our manufacturing programme and vital for the company's foray into the international arena," Mukund Atre, general manager, Technical, Anglo French told Pharmabiz.com

Anglo French started its herbal division in 2001. Its products include- Hepax (hepto-protective), M2M (women's hormone regulation), Sucal (herbo mineral for osteoporosis) L-style (an anti-oxidant), Suderma (allergies), Bipril (hypertension), Sulip (cholesterol) and ASAP (an aphrodisiac) -are now gaining a foothold in the market. All the products are manufactured at Fine Chemicals in Bangalore.

The company has a significant presence in the south, and regions of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Bihar. Its foray into Himachal Pradesh and a few more states are expected before March 2005 because of the positive response to the range of products.

As Anglo French is well-known in the international arena for its range of allopathic formulations, it has garnered a fair share of the market with its herbal drugs - Hepax, ASAP, Suderma and Sucal exported only to Italy. Market expansions are on the anvil following substantial orders from Uganda, Russia Portugal and Middle East, said Atre.

The company will also invest Rs 10-15 lakh to develop land for herbal plant cultivation both at Peenya and Pithampur in Madhya Pradesh for which it plans to approach herbal-agriculture consultants.

Both the R&D and market expansion will see the company hiring an additional team of scientists and increase its sales force to a total of 200 before March 2005 from the current 150 personnel.