AIN Medicare Sdn Bhd, the leading manufacturer of medical products and large volume parentarals in Malaysia, is setting up its wholly owned subsidiary in India. AIN Medicare India Pvt Ltd, which will be based at Chennai, would start marketing operations in the country by the end of this year.

Speaking to Pharmabiz, P M Mothiram, managing director of AIN Medicare India Pvt Ltd, said that the Indian subsidiary was incorporated in August 2004. The company, which would initially source products from few contract manufacturers in India, will start marketing operations with small volume parentarals like injectables, vials and ampules.

Besides, the company would also venture into drug formulation business with 10 to 12 products in the field of antibiotics, hormones and vitamins in the areas of cardiovascular diseases, pain management, gynaecology, paediatrics etc.

However, AIN Medicare plans to set up its own manufacturing facility of international standards within the third year of operations in India. AIN Medicare Sdn Bhd is investing about Rs 10 crore initially in the Indian subsidiary, headed by Dr. Syed Ibrahim Ismail, CEO of the parent company, who is also the chairman of AIN Medicare India Pvt. Ltd.

The company looks at a turnover of about Rs 5 crore from the first 12 to 18 months of operations, mainly by concentrating the markets of Kerala, Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Chattisgarh.

"With the new patent regime and the mandate on Schedule M, we anticipate there will be good space for quality products in our area in India, as numerous make shift operators in the field of hospital supplies will vanish soon. Our concentration initially will be to establish our presence in the Indian market, and then take off from there. Our products will be of high quality and will be sourced only from manufacturers with WHO-GMP certification and that conforms to our own quality standards," said Mothiram.

The US $ 20-million AIN Medicare Sdn Bhd is a 15-year old company located at Kotabharu in Malaysia with over 50 per cent market share in the domestic market for large volume parentarals and medical equipments like haemodialysis equipments. Apart from the Indian subsidiary, the company is also in the process of establishing a full-fledged manufacturing plant in Sudan for large volume parentarals in a joint venture, and is also planning to have manufacturing facilities in China and Middle East. Company sources said talks are progressing for setting up a manufacturing facility in China in a joint venture, and the Sudan plant is also nearing completion.

AIN Medicare Sdn Bhd exports about 15 per cent of its products to overseas markets like Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Sudan etc. and have extensive penetration in these markets. With the Indian subsidiary, the company hopes to cater to some of the existing and emerging markets in the South East Asian region. Further, the AIN Medicare also hopes to venture into formulation business starting with the Indian subsidiary, said sources.