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Unichem would market four of the key products of Bharat Biotech both in domestic and overseas markets under the Unichem brands.

Mr Ashok Jain, Chief Executive (Pharma), Unichem Laboratories, and Mr Sudhakar N. Peram, Vice-President (Marketing), Bharat Biotech International, at a press conference in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

HYDERABAD, June 18

BHARAT Biotech International Ltd, the Hyderabad-based biotech player known for its world's second largest comprehensive biotech manufacturing facility, has announced a strategic alliance with Unichem Laboratories Ltd, the Mumbai-based Rs 301-crore pharma major, here on Tuesday.

As per this agreement, which is valid for an initial period of five years, Unichem would market four of the key products of Bharat Biotech both in domestic and overseas markets under the Unichem brands. These four products are Hepatitis-B, Sachromyces Boulardi, Recombinant Typhoid vaccine and Streptokinase.

Addressing presspersons here, the Bharat Biotech Vice-President, Marketing, Mr Sudhakar Naidu Peram, said they expect to significantly improve the capacity utilisation of biotech facilities following the alliance with Unichem, resulting in improved top and bottom lines.

According to him, the current market for these four products was estimated at around Rs 275 crore in the country, apart from vast potential in the untapped overseas markets.

The Unichem Chief Executive, Pharma, Mr Ashok Jain, said the company has the necessary infrastructure to market the biotech products both in the domestic and overseas markets.

Apart from about 900 marketing force and a reach to 1.75 lakh doctors across the country, it also has a distribution and marketing network in the UK, Europe, South-East Asian region, CIS countries, West Asia, East African countries, Sri Lanka and Mauritius.

Having successfully achieved the target of Rs 300 crore in sales volumes, the company is now targeting a turnover mark of Rs 500-crore by March 31, 2004.

Unichem expects to improve its presence in the global market with the help of its recently acquired UK-based company, Niche Generics, and a wholly-owned subsidiary in South Africa.

It is currently working out entry strategy for Brazil, Mr Jain said.

According to Mr Peram, having set up a world-class facility at a capital expenditure of over Rs 100 core, Bharat Biotech currently has a robust product pipeline in the biovaccines and biogenerics segment.

It is currently working on two major contract research programmes funded by the Bill Gates Foundation.

The first project on Rota Virus is under progress in collaboration with the Atlanta-based CDC, Stanford University and the US-based National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

The second project on development and scaling up of a vaccine candidate against Malaria was being conducted in collaboration with the New Delhi-based International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology and the US-based Global Alliance for Vaccine Initiative.

While the typhoid vaccine of Bharat Biotech, the first recombinant vaccine, is currently undergoing clinical trials, the product is expected to be launched by November this year.

Streptokinase, a biotech product for the cardiovascular disease, is scheduled to be introduced in the market by February next, Mr Peram said.

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