DR reddy’s
Inside Dr Reddy’s
India’s
second-largest pharma company is adapting to industry dynamics and
seizing new opportunities — all this, while staying true to the
founder’s vision
DRL Over The Years
- 1984: Anji Reddy quits state-owned Indian Drugs & Pharmaceuticals (IDPL) to start DRL with Rs 25 lakh corpus
- 1986: DRL goes public and enters international markets with methyldopa exports after IDPL stops producing drug owing to technical reasons
- 1987: Becomes first Indian company to make its plant USFDA compliant, thus marking DRL’s foray into the world of generics
- 1991: Among early Indian companies to enter Russia, but opts for private pharmacies rather than traditional government route
- 1997: Licenses anti-diabetic molecule (Balaglitazone) to Novo Nordisk, validating Anji’s belief that research is the future of pharma
- 1999: Acquisition of American Remedies catapults DRL as the 5th largest Indian pharma company
- 2001: First Asia-Pacific (ex-Japan) entity to list on NYSE, helping DRL not just raise money but also improve transparency. Wins first patent challenge with 180-day marketing exclusivity for generic drug (Fluoxetine 40 mg) in the US, giving DRL confidence to build first-to-file pipeline and ushers in an era of patent challenges
- 2005: Acquisition of Roche’s API business in Mexico helps DRL turn suppliers to innovators, a difficult market to crack until then
- 2006: Crosses $1 billion in revenues with the acquisition of Betapharm in Germany, but change in regulations make acquisition unviable
- 2007: DRL sees biosimilars as a growth area, launches Reditux (Rituximab), the world’s first monoclonal antibody biosimilar. Reditux goes on to be a market leader in its segment
- 2008: Post setback in research, DRL decides to acquire technology platforms to strengthen R&D capabilities. Acquires Dow Pharma’s small molecules business in the UK
- 2009: Strategic alliance with GSK for 100 products in emerging markets validates strength of product portfolio and manufacturing capabilities
- 2011: Achieves critical size as revenues cross $2 billion, helping DRL take larger bets in product development
- 2012: Strengthens capabilities in injectables and biosimilars through acquisitions and builds an impressive product portfolio in each of its businesses following a deal with Merck Serono and acquisition of Octoplus