The Hindu Business Line : Ranbaxy plans to hire 400 scientists

Snapshot
Ranbaxy’s anti-malarial agents will be entering Phase–II clinical trails soon.
The company was looking for good M.Sc students, PhDs and post-doctoral researchers.
In the generic space, cost advantage poised to take India further in the global market.

G. Naga Sridhar

Hyderabad, March 26

Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd, which is in the process of carving out Ranbaxy Life Science Research Ltd, is working on research and development collaborations in India and abroad, besides planning to hire around 400 scientists over next one to two years.

“Although I cannot give specific details at this moment, we are keen on collaborative research and are currently talking to some players on the issue,” Dr Ian A. Cliffe, Head, New Drug Discovery Research, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd, told Business Line here recently.

“We are spinning off drug discovery research and this gives further impetus to our discovery research. Our primary focus at present is on information, anti-infectives, oncology and metabolic disorders,” Dr Cliffe said.

The company has over 10 compounds in the aforementioned areas in different phases of development. “Our anti-malarial agents will be entering Phase–II clinical trails soon,” he said.

Manpower scenario

The Gurgaon-based pharma major will also be ramping up its scientists’ head count to support greater discovery research in the proposed R&D arm, which is expected to be in operation by the middle of this year. “We have 300 scientists at present. The number will go up to 700 in next the one to two years,” Dr Cliffe said.

The company was looking for good M.Sc students, PhDs and post-doctoral researchers, he added. “The manpower scenario has somewhat improved of late with the improvement in quality of post graduates,” he opined.

Generic space

On the opportunity for India in the generic space, the Ranbaxy official said the 30-50 per cent cost advantage compared to the US and Europe was poised to take India to further heights in the global pharma market.

“A good number of generic drugs will go off-patent over the next two years. The 30-50 per cent cost advantage coupled with the availability of skilled professionals will translate into a big opportunity for India,” Dr Cliffe observed.