Business Standard

GSK pays $1 billion to lift stake in Indian unit to 75%

The company held open offer to buy the extra shares at Rs 3,100 each

Reuters London
GlaxoSmithKline said on Monday it had paid Rs 6,400 crore to increase its stake in its Indian pharmaceuticals unit to 75%, as it banks on rising demand for medicines in emerging markets.

Britain's biggest drugmaker first announced plans to lift the holding in GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals from 50.7% in December. It held an open offer to buy the extra shares at Rs 3,100 each from February 18 to March 5.

Final payment for shares tendered and accepted will be completed by March 20, GSK added.

David Redfern, GSK's chief strategy officer, said the decision to increase exposure to the Indian market was "a significant vote of confidence" in growth prospects for its business in India.
 

GSK, which has had a presence in India for 90 years, is keen to secure a bigger share of India's growing $14 billion-a-year market, which it views as promising despite recent moves to impose price cuts and limit patents on some medicines.

The open offer was managed by HSBC.

Don't miss the most important news and views of the day. Get them on our Telegram channel

First Published: Mar 10 2014 | 12:55 PM IST

Explore News