The Hindu Business Line : Merck to re-enter India; to forge R&D alliances

THE second largest pharmaceutical company in the US, Merck & Co is planning to re-enter the Indian market and is looking at forging alliances in the research and development space.

Besides this, the company is also considering conducting clinical trials in India. It is seeking approvals for setting up a subsidiary here.

Speaking to Business Line, at the sidelines of the Indian Economic Summit, Mr C. Nigel Thomson, Executive Director, Merck & Co said, "We have ongoing discussions with many other companies and are looking at a range of opportunities. For instance, we recently hosted the Biocon chief, Ms Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw." However, the drug maker has not reached any conclusive agreements with any of the domestic pharmaceutical companies.

The company will also consider launching new products, once the product patent regime is in place next year. "We are very hopeful that the patent regime will provide a good opportunity for us to launch our products here." However, the company will wait and watch to see how effective the patent mechanism is and how the regime will pan out. It will also watch how the Patents Office treats the applications in the Mail Box. Currently, there are over 4,000 applications in the Mail Box and Merck also has filed applications for some of its products.

The New Jersey-based company'srecent withdrawal of its anti-arthritis drug Vioxx (Rofecoxib) from the US market has not had any impact in India. "There have been no problems here. We have however, heard that the Government has banned the generic versions of the drug," Mr Thomson added.

Meanwhile, with the re-entry on Merck & Co, almost all the major pharmaceutical companies would have a presence in India. Earlier, Bristol Meyers Squibb had announced its intentions of foraying the market, while others such as Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline are already present.

More Stories on : Outlook | Pharmaceuticals

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page