The Uzbekistan-based Jurabek Laboratories is seeking tie-ups with Indian pharma companies for supply of bulk drugs and pharma machinery. The company is also looking for collaboration with biotech companies for manufacturing or marketing of vaccines in the Republic of Uzbekistan, according to Muhammad Ali Doniyorov, director of the company.

"So far, we have identified three Indian companies with whom we will sign distribution agreements," Doniyorov added.

Jurabek, one of the large pharmaceutical companies in Uzbekistan with about 120 per cent annual growth in the past few years, was established in 1996 in joint venture with Bravo Medical Equipment Trading of UAE. It has set up one department for production of tablets and capsules and another for import substitution, he said.

The annual capacity of the tablet department is about 180 million tablets and finished products against bacteria, for treatment of stomach ulcer and heartburn, headache, cold, acute infectious diseases, gynaecological and urinological disorders. The company is also producing a number of vitamins in technical collaboration with Polfa Grodzisk (Poland).

The capsule department has an annual capacity of 120 million capsules and Jurabek is one of the leading companies in the country to manufacture antibiotics of penicillin group.

He informed, the company has set up a new production unit in 2004, for manufacturing cephalosporin dry powder injectables with annual capacity of 14 million vial, one of its kind in the Central Asia.

About 16 various essential medicines are being manufactured at Almalyk Medical Plant of Jurabek in cooperation with large producers of pharmaceutical materials such as Bristol-Myers-Squibb (USA), Polfa Grodzisk (Poland), Aurobindo Pharma and Orchid Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals.

The company also runs private drugstores, spread across key regions of the country. The first drug store came into existence in 1994 as part of denationalization and privatization of pharmacy institutions under the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Jurabek has achieved a turnover of $ 16 million through production and about $ 26 million through distribution in 2004 and is hoping to increase the same to $ 20 million and $ 30 million respectively, this financial year, he added.

The company is also in the process of setting up an R & D lab in Uzbekistan which will start its operations by 2006. The new lab will aim at developing new technologies for manufacture of drugs, antibiotics and herbal products. There are about 3000 herbs that are found to have medicinal properties and Jurabek will explore scope of developing promising herbal products in the coming years, he added.