Aurobindo Pharma has improved its performance during the third quarter ended December 2005 and its profit after tax went up sharply by 68 per cent to Rs 35.62 crore from Rs 21.15 crore in the corresponding period of last year. Its total income for the third quarter reached Rs 326.39 crore as against Rs 301.72 crore, registering a growth of 8.2 per cent. The net profit as percentage of sales stood at 10.9 per cent as compared to 7 per cent in the last period. Exports touched Rs 164.54 crore and constituted 51 per cent of total sales.

For the nine months period its total income increased by 15.2 per cent to Rs 991.68 crore from Rs 860.46 crore and its net profit moved up by 59.9 per cent to Rs 90.80 crore from Rs 56.77 crore. The total R&D expenditure in the nine months reached Rs 32.43 crore. It received its first Certificate of Suitability approval from European directorate for quality medicines for its product in the therapeutic segment of gastro-enterology, which will enable the company to enter into the European Union pharma market.

Aurobindo filed five DMFs and two ANDAs for the US makets, Similarly it has filed 22 EDMFs/COS for EU market. Its subsidiary in China, Aurobindo Datong Bio Pharma has started generating cash profits in the recent months. It is expected to generate net profits in the coming months.

The company's joint venture Citadel Aurobindo Biotech Ltd (CABL) streamlined the operations successfully and has recorded over Rs 75 crore sales in the first nine months moving to the target of reaching Rs 100 crore in the first year of full operations.