Granules lines up 4 new drugs for this fiscal

Looking to focus on R&D to further expand its product portfolio

A leading player in bulk drugs including active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), and pharmaceutical formulation intermediates (PFIs), Granules entered into finished dosage (FD) space during 2008-09 as a part of its efforts to move up the value chain, and launched around 11 drugs so far

Hyderabad: Granules India Limited is gearing up to launch three to four new drugs during the current fiscal as the city-based pharma firm intends to expand its range in the high-value finished dosage space. The company is also increasing its focus on Research and Development (R&D).

A leading player in bulk drugs including active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) as well as pharmaceutical formulation intermediates (PFI), Granules entered into finished dosage (FD) space during the financial year 2008-09 as a part of its efforts to move up the value chain, and so far launched around 11 drugs including five products with single actives such as paracetamol.

At present, the company gets 32 per cent of its total revenues from these finished drugs. “Granules has designed a research programme that continues to ensure the delivery of a feasible pipeline of high-value opportunities that are augmenting growth for the company across markets. We are in the process of launching three to four products in FY2015-16,” the pharma company said in its annual report for the fiscal 2014-15.

The company is consolidating its competitive position by enhancing product portfolio, it added. To cater to the demand in FD space, Granules has a manufacturing facility with total installed capacity of 18 billion tablets. The plant successfully completed USFDA inspection in March 2015 without attracting any observations.

The company is also increasing its focus on R&D to churn out new products and augment growth in India and overseas market. “We are reinforcing our R&D backbone through prudent investments that place us at the cutting-edge of technology and help us deliver complex products with speed. Our R&D initiatives are strongly determined by market demand,” the company explained.

Granules closed last fiscal ended on March 31, 2015 with total revenues of Rs 1,293 crore, a growth of 18 per cent from the year-ago period. The income from FD accounted for 32 per cent while APIs contributed 44 per cent. The remaining 24 per cent came from the PFI product range. Its net profit reached Rs 91 crore last fiscal as against Rs 75 crore a year ago.

“We have built a strong base business that will continue to grow as it gains defensible market share while expanding profit margins,” C Krishna Prasad, Chairman & Managing Director, Granules India, said in the report. While we are currently synonymous with large-volume products, we have taken several steps to move into more complex offerings, he added.

By P Madhusudhan Reddy