Dr Reddy's blames Venezuelan crisis for 86 pct Q4 profit drop

MUMBAI (Reuters) - India's second-largest drugmaker, Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd , reported a much lower-than-expected quarterly profit due to a write-off related to Venezuela's economic crisis which has damaged its business there.

Companies including Dr Reddy's have been trying for months to recover funds from OPEC member Venezuela as oil prices sink and food scarcity and power cuts stir public protest.

Dr Reddy's said it took a hit of 4.31 billion rupees ($65 million) in the January-March quarter because it could not get approval from the Venezuelan government to recover any more money beyond the $4 million it has already received.

 

As a result, profit slumped nearly 86 percent to 746 million rupees, while analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected a profit of 5.52 billion rupees on average.

"We will continue to actively engage with the Venezuelan government to provide affordable medicine to fulfil the need of the people of the country, subject to repatriation of funds," Dr Reddy's Chief Executive GV Prasad said in a statement.

While revenues from North America, Dr Reddy's biggest market, rose 12 percent, and those from India were up 11 percent, they could not offset declining sales in Europe and emerging markets.

($1 = 66.6 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Zeba Siddiqui in Mumbai; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu/Ruth Pitchford)