Lupin Ltd, a Mumbai-based pharma giant, performed well during the third quarter ended December 2005 and its net profit has taken a jump of 80.4 per cent to Rs 44.19 crore from Rs 24.50 crore in the corresponding period of last year. This pushed its earning per share to Rs 11.01 from Rs 6.10 in the last period. The net sales for the quarter increased by 52.7 per cent to Rs 426.90 crore from Rs 279.56 crore.

The company is now planning to set up a Greenfield finished dosage facility at Jammu with an investment of Rs 26 crore.

Export revenue increased by 56 per cent during the third quarter to Rs 207.80 crore from Rs 133.20 crore in the similar period of last year mainly due to regular off-take in the advanced markets of existing products and launch of new products in the US market. Lupin launched five new products in the US market during the quarter under review, which included cefprozil suspension and tablets on patent expiry.

Revenues from domestic market rose 47 per cent at Rs 234.20 crore from Rs 159.40 crore. It received approval from the US FDA for three ANDAs and it filed five ANDAs and three DMFs during quarter ended December 2005. Further, it also filed nine EDMFs, six MAA (EU) and two dossiers (TGA). Its R&D expenditure went up to Rs 27.5 crore from Rs 18.20 crore. The company's operating profit before interest, depreciation and taxation touched Rs 67.19 crore from Rs 41.41 crore in the last period, registering a growth of 62.3 per cent.

For the nine months period ended December 2005, Lupin achieved net profit of Rs 132.53 crore as against Rs 62.63 core in the corresponding period of last year, registering a growth of 111.6 per cent. Its net sales for the nine months improved by 35.8 per cent to Rs 1184.10 crore from Rs 871.87 crore. The earning per share for the first nine months worked out to Rs 33.02 as compared to Rs 15.60 in the last period. Its R&D expenditure moved up to Rs 69.34 crore from Rs 57.13 crore.