The x factor

India’s largest drug firm Ranbaxy Laboratories was basking in glory after the company announced the commercial launch of its new drug for malaria – the first new drug to be developed by an Indian drug firm – on World Malaria Day (April 25). Perhaps that euphoria explains the slip of the tongue of Vilasrao Deshmukh, Union Minister for Science and Technology, who referred to Ranbaxy as Ranbasky, not once but four times during his speech at the launch function in Delhi.