Pharma News 091104:

Headlines: Alan Sheppard to head Dr Reddy's Europe generics business

Source: Business line

DR Reddy's Laboratories Ltd has announced that Mr Alan Sheppard has joined the company as Executive Vice-President and Head of Europe Generics, and Managing Director and Head of Dr Reddy's UK Ltd.

In a press release here on Monday, Dr Reddy's said Mr Sheppard would be responsible for the management of the company's generics business in Europe and would be based at the company's offices in UK.

Commenting on development, the Dr Reddy's Chief Executive Officer, Mr G.V. Prasad, said, "Alan Sheppard brings with him a wealth of experience, which includes commercial, general management, R&D, manufacturing and strategic planning across generics, ethical branded, OTC and vaccines. Dr Reddy's will leverage this experience in taking our business forward in Europe.

" Mr Sheppard joins Dr Reddy's from Pliva, a leading European pharmaceutical company, where he was Vice-President for Global Corporate Strategy. He had previously been Vice-President, Western Europe, where he was responsible for establishing Pliva's business in the European Union. He also served as General Manager of Rhone-Poulenc Rorer (now Aventis); European marketing director for Medeva and held various positions with Institute Merieux, Smith Kline and Upjohn. According to the release, Mr Sheppard has served on several UK Government Committees and has been along standing member of the Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry's Code of Practice Committee, which regulates the promotion of medicines.



Headlines: Orchid identifies lifestyle drugs as its thrust area

Source: Economic Times

HYDERABAD: Orchid Chemicals and Pharmaceuiticals, which is heavily skewed towards production of cephalosporins (anti-bacterial), has identified lifestyle drugs as its thrust area post-2007.

Till then, the company is planning to launch products in the cephalosporin segment, that would go off-patent, in the $3-billion US generics market.

"At least five cephalosporin products are coming off-patent between 2005 through 2007. These drugs alone have a market size of about US$ 2 billion," Mr K Raghavendra Rao, CMD, Orchid Chemical and Pharmaceuticals, told reporters here on Monday. Till 2007, the company's emphasis will be on regulated markets like the US and Europe.

The company, which has 26 process patents to its credit, plans to add another 20 to the list by 2005. Among the 26 patents, the company currently has 11 Certificate of Suitability, 4 Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDAs) and 11 Drug Master Files (DMFs).

Pointing out the steps taken by Orchid, Mr Rao said that the company had filed non-infringing patents, got approvals from USFDA for its manufacturing facilities and appointed distributors for supplying its products in the US markets.

The company has already tied up marketing arrangements in the US for its cephalosporin products, Mr Rao said.

Further, the company will concentrate on country specific strategic marketing alliances to tap other regulated markets in Europe.

This part, Orchid has also entered the Japanese market, which constitutes about 20% of the $30 billion global anti-infective market.

"Our plan is to emerge as a $150 million company by late 2007. Post 2008, our focus will be on lifestyle drugs such as CNS (central nervous system) and CVS (cardiovascular) as almost all the cephalosporin drugs would be off-patent by then," Mr Rao said.

In the lifestyle segment, the company has identified some high value life saving drugs for exports.

Orchids has, meanwhile, proposed a $75 million foreign currency convertible bond issue.

"Atleast half of the funds so raised would go in setting up the lifestyle drugs plant and the balance will go for repaying the high interest bearing debts," Mr Rao said.

Commenting on the company's financials, Mr Rao said, "the current financial year may not be so exiting. The real growth, which would be in the range of 25-40%, would start from 2006 onwards".