Aventis Pharma open to brand buys, JVs

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Aventis Pharma Ltd is open to partnerships with other companies or brand acquisitions to expand into smaller cities in India, a top company official said on Tuesday.

With a portfolio of drugs largely consisting of diabetes, cardiovascular and anti-inflammatory treatments, Aventis will not be able to cater to the needs of tier II cities, Managing Director Shailesh Ayyangar said at a press meet.

They would need drugs for acute conditions such as anti-infectives, he added.

"We are open to looking at inorganic growth to get into tier II cities," Ayyangar said at the launch the company's new disposable insulin pen, SoloSTAR, that uses its insulin drug Lantus.

He declined to give further details.

Lantus, which had sales of about 280 million rupees in India, is expected to grow at 80 percent, Susheel Umesh, senior director of cardio metabolism business said.

The new product will help add 1-2 percent in Lantus' marketshare, he added.

Aventis Pharma, a unit of French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis, will import the product from its German manufacturing unit, Ayyangar said.

Separately, the Sanofi's development center in Goa for combination drugs and off-patent drugs aims for a dozen drugs every year, he added.