HYDERABAD, June 16: Aurobindo Pharma Limited will
invest up to USD 200 million on Capex and over five per cent
of sale value on Research and Development (R&D) during the
current financial year, a senior company official has said.
“Around USD 200 million is what we are targeting (on
capex in FY20)…Capex for biosimilar may not be a huge one
for FY20.
The majority of the CAPEX should be in terms of creating
certain both finished dosage and API capacities,” Managing
Director of Aurobindo N Govindarajan said in a recently held
earnings call.
He said this included formulation facility for derma.
Also, the company needs to expand API (Active Pharmaceutical
Ingredients) capacity with the growing need, as well as
bringing certain APIs needed for the future, he said.
“So from that perspective it would be a combination of
both finished dosage and API expansion,” Govindarajan said.
The city-based drug maker spent USD 225 million on
capex last year and R&D expenditure was at Rs 872 crore or 4.5
per cent of the revenues for the year, he said.
“Please remember the fact that next year will be more
crucial. We would start Phase-I for at least two to three
biosimilars and one Phase-III.
So definitely it ((R&D spend)) will be in the range of 5
per cent to 6 per cent or 5 per cent to 5.5 per cent on the
expanded basis. We will get much more clarity as we progress,”
he explained when asked about the proposed R&D expenditure for
FY20.
On the acquisition of commercial operations and three
manufacturing facilities in the US from Sandoz Inc,Swami Iyer,
CFO Aurobindo Pharma, USA, said the process was on to get
necessary permissions for the US Federal Trade Commission,
which the company expected to get in 12 weeks.
“Regarding Sandoz, we are in the last leg of the process
of obtaining FTC approval. We would be probably submitting the
final letter with the product and buyers list to the FTC.
We cannot speculate on how much time they would take. But
it is our own estimate that it could be anywhere between 8-12
weeks, Iyer said.
Aurobindo Pharma in September 2018 said its US subsidiary
entered into an agreement to acquire commercial operations and
three manufacturing facilities in the US from Sandoz Inc, USA,
a Novartis Division, for USD 900 million.
The business has been carved out by the management of
Sandoz for sale and consists of dermatology and oral solids
businesses, it had said.
The acquisition will add approximately 300 products,
including projects under development, as well as commercial
and manufacturing capabilities in the USA. (PTI)
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