In an exclusive interview with The Financial Express, Kopran managing director Surendra Somani said the group's UK-based joint venture, KD Pharmaceuticals, would file for registration next year. At present, the amoxy-clavulanic formulation market is dominated by SmithKline Beecham's Augmentin brand.

KD Pharmaceuticals is a 50:50 joint venture between Kopran International and Genesis Pharma, part of the DDSA group (one of the oldest generic houses in the UK). The joint venture outfit will also work on a generics strategy for other products like omeprazole. Kopran, in an earlier statement, had said that the tie-up with DDSA will ensure minimum sales of $1 million in the first year.

Somani said that Kopran is already making an amoxycillin-based brand, Dedoxil, which in turnis being marketed by DDSA in the UK. DDSA is also expected to market Kopran's atenol and ibuprofen-based formulations in the UK. Two of Kopran's Indian facilities have received the approval of the British Medicines Control Agency (MCA).

On the company's South African business, Somani said that Kopran was supplying certain penicillin-based formulations to local firms there, even as the group's proposed joint venture for similar products with the South African Druggist (SAD) group did not materialise. The aborted project was to use 6APA as raw material and had been unable to take off due unstable penicillin G prices. The South African market accounts for approximately Rs 10 crore of Kopran's international business.

Somani also added that Kampala Pharmaceuticals, jointly acquired by the company in 1996, is expected to post a turnover of $5.5 million during the current fiscal. Kampala Pharmaceuticals was acquired jointly by Kopran and the Aga Khan Foundation for Economic Development for $5 million.

Kopranis also in the process of converting Kampala Pharma's paracetamol brand, Kamadol, into an over-the-counter (OTC) drug. This move is expected to boost both brand performance and margins, Somani said.

Meanwhile, Kopran is set to participate in new chemical entity (NCE) development activity by undertaking either contract research or collaborations with "medium sized international R&D companies".

"Kopran believes that India can emerge as a major R&D base because of its strong chemistry and comparatively inexpensive costs involved. Kopran may also evaluate the possibility of conducting clinical trials for international firms in India," Somani said. Kopran had, in a major restructuring effort earlier this year, transferred its R&D activities to a wholly-owned subsidiary, Kopran Research Laboratories.

Somani said that Kopran Drugs Ltd (the group's semi-synthetic penicillin business which was spun off) is expected to be listed on the bourses by April, 1999.

Medical electonics business tobenefit

Kopran's medical electronics business is likely to get a booster dose, in terms of product profile, from the proposed global merger of Chiron Diagnostics, USA, and German major Bayer Diagnostics.

Kopran already distributes a range of products for Chiron Diagnostics and the proposed global merger is expected to give the Indian firm access to additional products. Key Chiron products handled by Kopran include blood gas analysers, immunodiagnostic systems and electrolytes analysers.

Kopran's medical electronics business essentially covers nuclear medicine and patient-monitoring equipment and the company is an authorised distributor for Adac Labs, US and Electro Medical Systems, Switzerland.