Baxter India braces for drug launches

Baxter India is gearing up for new drug launches in anaesthesia, surgical glues that substitute stitches post-surgery and delivery solutions in renal care by 2006.

The wholly owned subsidiary of $10 billion global pharmaceutical major, Baxter has already filed for registration with the Drug Controller General of India (DGCI) and is awaiting formal approval.

In what could be a first, the Rs 250 crore company is looking to set up haemophilia clinics in India, on the lines of clinics that exist abroad. There is already one such clinic in Ahmedabad and more are expected to come up. "We would like to have one in Delhi as well, probably with the Rotary Blood Centre but we are still in talks," said Sanjiv Verma, MD, Baxter India.

Haemophilia, a blood clotting disorder, is one of the key focus areas for the company to provide patients with not only medical care but also counselling services under one roof .

Having acquired Wockhardt Life Sciences for $40 million in 2002, Verma belives the company has "the required scale and presence", but doesn't rule out more acquisitions in the Biosciences and medical devices space.

Like other pharma companies, Baxter too is waiting for regulatory ambiguities to clear up before it launches its patented drugs in India.

Many of the multinational pharma companies, like Pfizer, Eli Lilly, MSD and Novartis are wary of getting their patented products to India on account of the same reasons.