Organon India Limited, a subsidiary of Organon International Inc., the human health care business unit of Akzo Nobel, Netherlands which is a women's healthcare global major has cast its net in India to acquire any existing pharmaceutical plant for manufacture of their range of products for the Asian market. Another business interest for the company is to scout for marketing partners in India who will help to increase the reach of their range of gynaecology products particularly contraceptives.

The Rs. 160 crore Indian operations of Organon were initially located at Kolkatta. Recently after a new board of directors took over Organon International, the first decision was to relocate their base to Mumbai. "The company's decision on its plans for Organon India will be finalised in the next two months which is to either set up a production plant in Kolkatta where it has identified land or acquire any Indian pharma plant that could be refurbished to suit our production processes," said Paul Rohof, chairman and managing director, Organon India Limited.

More than 50 per cent of the company's products are produced by contract manufacturers in India, which are international regulatory compliant facilities. Currently, the company is sourcing its products from pharmaceutical manufacturing bases located in Goa, Hyderabad and Bangalore. The names were however not disclosed.

According to Rohof, only a few Indian companies are competent to market contraceptives in the country. Organon's three fold core competence- focussed approach, good product and employee ethics help us to understand the needs of the Indian market which is still in its infancy, he said.

Organon is one of only three pharmaceutical companies worldwide other than Johnson & Johnson and Wyeth Lederle to undertake research and development into new contraceptive methods, informed Marie-Helene Piederiet, head, marketing, Organon India.

Products like Remeron an anti depressant is one of the latest offering by the company in the area of mental health and is not yet released in India mainly because it is pending for registration requirements. However all the products in cardiovascular, mental health, central nervous system and anaesthesiology will be available going by the needs of the Indian market in post 2005, informed Rohof.