Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL) is aggressively gearing up to build its future growth through pharmaceutical services & active ingredients (PSAI) and proprietary products covering new chemical entities, differentiated formulations (dermatology, inflammation & anti-bacterials) and bio-similars. Its international sales constitute 90 per cent of its total revenues of over Rs 6,500 crore in fiscal 2009. It is now working to be a Rs 15,000 crore company by 2013.

The PSAI range will focus on Gemcitabine (cancer) , ciprofloxacin (antibiotic) Montelikast (asthama and anti allergic), Sumatirptan (anti migraine) and Levetiracetam (anti epileptic).

In the global generics business, DRL is looking at leadership status in the BRIC markets with the GSK alliance besides increasing presence in North America. It is also working to address its performance issues in Germany through its wholly owned subsidiary Betapharm. The current market here has moved away from ethically promoted platform to tender-based supplies, said GV Prasad, vice chairman and CEO, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories.

Further, DRL will also augment its domestic market presence by focusing states in the north and eastern regions.

The company’s top management including Dr. Anji Reddy, chairman and Satish Reddy managing director and COO said that DRL’s product pipeline includes Balaglitazone which is the first lead molecule in anti-diabetic segment that will enter the market in two years and its polypill which is a four-in-one drug to treat cardiovascular disease will be ready in four years.

Among its existing products Omez (Rs 100 crore brand), Nise, Stamlo and Razo are key revenue generators. During this fiscal, the company launched 24 new generic products, filed 22 new generic products registrations and filed 4 DMFs globally. Its cumulative ANDA filings reached at 139 and 67 ANDAs are pending at the US FDA.

Stating that innovation in research could only lead to new market opportunities, Dr Anji Reddy reaffirmed that as far as DRL was concerned, it wanted to be a discovery-led company. After the debacle in 2003, where DRL’s dual-acting insulin sensitizer compound Ragaglitazar study was discontinued during animal studies when  it out-licensed the compound to Novo Nordisk, the company has come a long way with its other molecules.

“Now we have completed phase-I study of CETP (cholesterol ester transfer protein) and are almost close to Merck in this efforts,” Dr Reddy told a section of the media at his facility in Hyderabad during a Pharma Orientation programme.

According to Satish Reddy, DRL would augment its portfolio with a combination of in-house and in-licensed products in cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, oncology and dermatology segments to increase its market presence. “The focus for future is to work on technology complex products and new delivery systems in select markets to achieve leadership. We will expand the market with a differentiated product portfolio and work on supply chain management for a comprehensive range of solid oral formulations, injectables, cytotoxic drugs and biosimilars through strategic deals. These efforts will start paying off in a couple of years,” he added.