Rank 20

GSK Pharmaceuticals

The great Indian dream

GSK has consolidated its position in India by strengthening its position in the vaccine market. It has already made India a hotbed for its operations.

GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals (GSK) recorded a total biotech sales of Rs 80.40 crore against last year's sales of Rs 79 crore. The growth in sales for the company's continuing business, after excluding the financials of the agrivet farm care and the Qualigens Fine Chemicals business, which has been sold, was 14 percent. Profits before tax and exceptional items grew by 25 percent on a comparable basis. For the full year, sales of the continuing business have grown by 7.8 percent and profits before tax and exceptional items grew by 13.8 percent.

GlaxoSmithKline in India is an affiliate of GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, one of the world's leading vaccine manufacturers, headquartered in Rixensart, Belgium. In India, the division leads the represented vaccine market with a 51 percent market share. India today is a hot spot for GSK Biologicals. GSK Biologicals, will make India a global hub for clinical research and development. It is going to conduct clinical R&D process in India for its hi-tech vaccines for AIDS, dengue, malaria and TB. The company is now planning to conduct trials in India for nearly every product in the global research pipeline. It has already identified 6 centers for oncology to conduct early phase trials in India.

Fiscal 2007-08 saw a couple of product launches by the company. Till date vaccines has been a key growth area for GSK in the Indian market. As of now GSK markets 12 types of vaccines in the Indian market. Some of the top brands include Engerix B, Varilrix, Havrix. Vaccines registered a growth of 24 percent with sales clocking at $165 million. In January 2008, it announced the launch of two new innovative Diphtheria, Tetanus and acellular Pertussis (DTP) vaccines-- Boostrix and Infanrix. GSK's Boostrix is USFDA approved and well accepted in 58 countries. American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends Boostrix at 10 years of age.

Commenting on the launch of the two vaccines, Dr Hasit Joshipura, managing director, GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals, said, "GSK India remains committed to providing the latest and most effective preventive care particularly for children. The launch of Infanrix and Boostrix will be a step forward in this mission." In 2007, GSK forayed into the cardio-vascular segment with the launch of its product Carzec (carvedilol), a beta-blocker indicated in patients with heart failure and for the management of hypertension. GSK India which has also been focusing on its pharmaceutical business also had some significant launches in this segment during this fiscal. Some of the launches included were Inflapen, Arixtra, and Zemetril. GSK has two manufacturing units in India, located at Nashik and Thane, as well as a clinical development center in Bangalore. The state-of-the-art plant at Nashik makes formulations while bulk drugs are manufactured at Thane. GSK has a target of achieving a growth target of 20 percent in biopharmaceuticals by 2015.