The Natco Pharma's upcoming API facility, being established at an estimated cost of around Rs 15 crore, will be functional by the end of this year. The medium sized pharmaceutical company's cytotoxic API facility is being developed at its existing chemical division facility premises at Mekaguda in Mahabubnagar district of Andhra Pradesh.

The company is not looking at a specific market share as the production is applied in special category treatment and cancer drugs, Bhaskar Narayan, director of the company told Pharmabiz.

As part of its plans, the company is looking to enter markets such as Vietnam, etc. It has recently acquired retail pharmacy in the east-coast region such a Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. The company intends to hive off its retail business as separate entity after it attaining critical mass.

The retail business for Natco, according company sources, is intended to help in promoting its own branded generic products in the US and also opening up opportunities for alliances to distribute products of some other Indian pharma manufactures. The company does not intend to enter the Indian retail market and is concentrating all its energies in North America.

The company is planning to introduce nearly 20 new branded generics during the current financial year. It also plans to launch generic version of Teva's glatiramer for sclerosis, the sources said.